


the road, the hidden truth, & you

by mrs_theirin



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Marriage Proposal, Mommy Issues, Mutual Pining, Road Trips, Sharing a Bed, hawke twins au, idiots to lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:15:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 29,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27899704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrs_theirin/pseuds/mrs_theirin
Summary: [ “Bianca’s getting married.”“Your car? Oh, I’m very happy for her. Is it to a charming Honda Civic? Or is that too young for her?”Her joke didn’t land well. Varric shifted in his seat and sighed. “The real Bianca." ]Eden Hawke and Varric Tethras have been friends for 7 years. Their bond is unbreakable, which is why when Varric asks Eden to be his fake date to his on-again/off-again ex girlfriend Bianca's wedding, she agrees immediately. The two of them embark on the road trip of a lifetime, one they will never forget.
Relationships: Carver Hawke/Merrill, Cremisius "Krem" Aclassi/Bethany Hawke, Female Hawke/Varric Tethras, Hawke/Varric Tethras, Male Hawke/Cullen Rutherford
Comments: 132
Kudos: 52





	1. A Business Discussion

**Author's Note:**

> hello i am giving FULL credit to @merrybandofmurderers (on tumblr) / @Imaginary_Bomb (on here) because they gave me the general idea of this fic and i loved it so much i had to write it. thank you scottie ilysm!! hope you guys enjoy <3
> 
> (also side note & little fun fact: all of the chapter titles are da2 quest names!)

_i'm on the road_

_i'm making plans_

_dismiss this one-night misunderstanding_

_and if i fail_

_at least i tried —_

**_tarred and feathered - dogs_ **

_~_

There wasn’t really much to prepare Eden Hawke for him proposing the deal. In retrospect, she shouldn’t have agreed, she should’ve just kissed him on the spot and have been done with it, but there was more intrigue this way, more drama. And there’s nothing Varric Tethras loves more than drama.

He was a writer, you see. World famous. His mystery/fantasy novels, Hard in Hightown, sold almost a million copies worldwide. He was the real deal.

Eden, however, was much more subdued. A celebrity in her own respect in her home of Las Cruces, New Mexico, she modeled for the local artists. Not exactly the upper class job her mother wanted for her, but she rarely cared about what Leandra wanted. It had been almost 10 years since Malcolm had passed and the memory still stung. No amount of money made from running the family business could change that. 

Eden didn’t want money. She wanted her father back.

Of course, him being dead for 10 years and she herself being a 33 year old woman, there wasn’t much room for realism there. So she modeled. And she loved it. A few of her paintings made it into the mainstream media, but every time a modeling agency called her up, she’d direct them to the painter. She didn’t want to be in the spotlight, not like that. Eden preferred whoever had painted her to get the shot. 

It was a crisp July afternoon when Varric called her to meet up. He was incredibly vague (as usual) and he was anxiously tapping his foot when she had arrived, sauntering into his home without a second thought. He had given her a key a few years ago. 

“Hello, my dear friend,” she said, sliding into the seat across from him. “What exactly did you need me for? You were characteristically vague.”

The air smelled of freshly baked cookies; she couldn’t decide whether it was due to a strong candle or actual baked goods in his oven. Varric wasn’t a baker, which is why the smell was odd, and she glanced over to him. He was rubbing his chin with his hand. When he noticed her looking, he melted into his normal grin, leaning back in his chair.

“Oh, Hawke. You ever think I’m just calling for a social visit?”

She shook her head, smiling. “No, of course not. If you were, you would’ve just popped in uninvited.”

“Trust me, I tried. For once you weren’t at your apartment.”

“For once?” she scoffed, pulling back in her chair. “You wound me, Tethras. I’m a busy woman!”

Varric hummed. “Busy bugging your brother at work?”

Eden sat deathly still as she remembered waltzing into Carver’s new job, loudly announcing she was related to him and was “looking for her baby brother”, only to be quickly (and quite forcibly) escorted out by Carver himself as he grumbled curses into her ear. He had flipped her off through the window before returning back to work. 

The look on Varric’s face informed her she had been perceived. She sighed dramatically. “Fine! You caught me. Now, honestly, what’s the deal?”

His face fell, and Eden shifted in her seat. Varric was being uncomfortably awkward. Varric isn’t awkward, he’s suave and charming. The man sitting in front of her was anything but, his hands fiddling with the cloth of his jacket. He glanced back up at her before taking a deep breath. “Bianca’s getting married.”

“Your car? Oh, I’m very happy for her. Is it to a charming Honda Civic? Or is that too young for her?”

Varric’s car was a black 1967 Ford Mustang that he adored. After years of hounding him, she finally got him to tell the story behind it, although the “story” wasn’t much of one. He just explained Bianca was the one to buy him the car and for years she’d add new additions to it to make it a bit more modern and easy to use. That was it. After _years,_ that’s all Eden could squeeze out of him. 

Her joke didn’t land well. Varric shifted in his seat and sighed. “The real Bianca. You know, She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? Turns out she and that businessman of hers are sealing the deal. She wants me to come.”

Eden started, the turn of the conversation momentarily making her drop her usual act. “Wait. Bianca, the woman who’s been toying with you for years, is inviting you to their wedding?”

“What can I say?” Varric chimed, although his face didn’t match his tone. “I’m a delight to be around.”

“You’re a fucking _joy_ to be around, but I would chalk this up to a strange request, yes?”

Eden watched Varric throw his hand in the air, sliding it through his hair as he sighed again. “What can you do?”

The realization of why she might be there started to set in, and she leaned forward, a smirk dancing across her red lips. “So what do you need me for? I’m very skilled at setting fires at places of high class. You won’t believe how much it came in handy when I was younger. One time, I—”

“No, Hawke, I don’t need you to crash the party.” This time he locked eyes with her and a chill ran down her back. “I need you to be my date.”

The room fell eerily silent before his words clicked into place in her head and she burst into laughter, clutching her stomach as she keeled over. She watched him lean back in his chair, rolling his eyes. She knew she should stop, but the absurdity of the situation just made her laugh harder, and it was about 10 minutes later when she finally stopped, cheeks flushed and stomach clenched tight. 

She sighed heartily, locking eyes with Varric again, almost challenging him (although to what, she wasn’t sure). “Sure,” she said, wiping away a stray tear. “I’ll be your date.”

“No funny business,” he replied, and she began to laugh again, making him shout over her. “No crazy stories, no intense making out, none of that! We’re going to be a nice, respectable couple and then we’re coming home! Understood?”

Eden looked at him through tear-filled eyes, practically wheezing as she spoke. “Yeah, yeah, of course. Respectable couple. Although no crazy stories might be a no go.”

He sighed heavily, pinching his nose. “Fine. _One_ crazy story. And you have to approve it with me first. These people already hate me enough.”

“Oh, please. You’re charming, you could win them over with 2 minutes of conversation.” She wiped away another tear, grinning evilly at him. “But sure. I’ll approve my wild stories of our relationship with you before spilling the beans to a room full of haters.”

 _“Story,”_ he emphasized. “One.”

She waved him off. “Fine, fine, whatever!”

Varric seemed to return to normal after this, his shoulders a bit more relaxed, although there was still some tension around his neck. Eden wondered why. “It’s in Queens. Now, I can book a flight—”

“No,” she erupted, shooting forward. “Absolutely not.”

He chuckled, his normal confidence seeming to return in full steam. “What’s this? You scared of planes, Hawke?” 

“Oh, get off my dick.” She stood up, smacking him in the arm. “Plus! We could make a fun road trip out of it! Come on, come on, come on, you know you want to! Please, Varric Tethras, for the love of God, don’t make me get on a plane. I’ll do anything.”

“You’d better be careful making promises like that, Hawke,” he responded, standing up as well. After 7 years of knowing him, it was still strange to see their height difference. Varric was short for a man—well, short for a human, really—with his head only coming to right above her chest. She loved to tease him by leaning her arm on his head. He didn’t seem to mind, in fact, she had caught him a few times leaning closer to her so she could while they were studying, back in their college years. Well, _his_ college years. She would never even dream of going to college. 

Varric had gotten into college in his later years, at 30. He had told her it was because his parents forced him to attend school for law, and he was in that major for quite some time. He got his degree and tried to move on, but they insisted he become a lawyer. They almost had him too, but they died in a car accident shortly after. Varric packed up his stuff and moved out of state to where he would eventually meet Eden and begin to earn a degree in English. He didn’t need one, he was a god at writing without any higher education, but he figured it would give him a leg up. Make him seem educated.

Who needed to be educated when you were that charismatic? Varric could probably charm the principal of the school into believing he had earned a degree without ever attending. Varric astonished Eden in that way. She had always been charming herself—came with the territory of coping mechanisms—but never like him. He always spoke with such certainty, even when he was lying through his teeth. It was amazing. 

“—but fine,” he finished, placing the now visible cookies on the counter. “Road trip it is. Cookie?”

She tapped her finger on his nose, leaning on the counter to snatch a cookie from the rack. “You did this on purpose. You knew you might’ve had to butter me up so you baked cookies just for me. Unbelievable.”

He laughed. “It worked, didn’t it?”

“Oh, believe me, Varric,” she said, tapping her cookie against his as a sort of toast before taking a bite, “I didn’t need baked goods to do something as crazy as this with the great Varric Tethras.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Go get packed. It’s about a 7 day trip there and back, just about. I know you’ll want your clothes.”

She snickered, placing her hand under her chin as crumbs fell out of her mouth. “Or I could just borrow yours if I run out.”

“That’ll make the news,” he scoffed, heading towards his bedroom. “Local Model Seen Wearing World Renowned Writer’s Clothing: A Secret Romance?”

She squealed, feigned excitement spilling out of her. “Ooh, can we do that? I think that would be fun!”

“Go home!” he shouted, his voice muffled as he disappeared within his bedroom. “Pack your stuff! I’ll be at your place at 10 AM tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir!” she called back, eyeing the cookies on the rack. “I’m taking the rest of these cookies!”

She heard his laughter filter through the hallway and she could imagine him shaking his head, a smirk on his face. “I knew you would!” 

Eden grabbed as many as she could and then stuck her tongue out at the wall, trying to telepathically send a raspberry to him. It wouldn’t surprise her if he knew she was doing it. He just understood her like that. “See you tomorrow!” she chirped, and with that she walked out of his apartment, shutting the door behind her.

A road trip. That’ll be fun.


	2. A Memento of the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eden reflects on the past and acquires a new accessory, much to Varric's (feigned) dismay.

_it's a fairyland tale that come true_

_and when you look at me with those stars in your eyes_

_i could waltz across texas with you —_

**_waltz across texas - ernest tubb_ **

~

**9:51 AM**

“You’re early,” she said, after she had stopped dragging her luggage along with her, the sound of the wheels clacking against the sidewalk bouncing off the houses on the semi-silent street. 

The sun was shining brightly, practically wishing Eden a good day with its cheerful glow. Good. She needed the help. See, she had spent all morning—and by all she really means the approximate 30 minutes she’d been awake—fretting in front of the mirror, fluffing her hair, checking her makeup. The reality of meeting Bianca, especially as Varric’s date, terrified her, although she couldn’t quite place why. She had lied before. Hell, she had even pretended to be Varric’s girlfriend before. Why was it different this time? 

“What can I say?” He gestured to the open trunk. “I like to be punctual.”

“You’re lucky I decided to wake up early,” she replied, walking past him to toss her luggage in the trunk. Her eyes landed on his singular bag and she paused.

Varric scoffed. “This is early to you?”

She peeked out at him. “This is luggage to you?”

Laughing, he closed the trunk. “I don’t need much.”

“Oh, I see. So you have about 3 sets of clothes and...what? Chest hair grooming tools?”

He tilted his head, a teasing grin growing on his face. “You wound me! To imply my _glorious mane_ is anything but natural...I don’t even know how we’re friends.”

“Because I do stupid shit like go to your on-again, off-again ex girlfriend’s wedding. Now get in the car, loser. Maybe you’ll be the one who ends up borrowing _my_ clothes.”

“Oh, yes,” he mocked, climbing into the car after her. “Tight, purple dresses and leather jackets are definitely my style.” 

She shoved him, rolling her eyes as he laughed, starting the car. “That’s not all I wear! Besides, you would _definitely_ rock one of my dresses. We should experiment sometime.”

She startled as he poked her in the side, holding his finger there for a moment. “Never. In a million. Years.”

“Your loss,” she sighed, and he shook his head, pulling out of her driveway.

It had been a while since Eden was last on the road. She didn’t drive often; Las Cruces was small enough that she could usually walk to wherever she was going. She only took her truck out when she needed to get somewhere quickly, or if she was hanging out with friends. Well, Malcolm’s truck. It was given to her after she passed, as Leandra hated it. Eden could still remember him fondly telling the story of her grandmother gifting the truck to him on his 18th birthday. 

“She’s old, but she still packs a strong punch,” he’d say, smacking the side of it. 

She knew he and Varric would’ve gotten along. Those two could probably talk about cars for hours, boring the shit out of Eden and Leandra. She chuckled softly as she imagined them ranting, Varric having been invited over for dinner, the two of them shouting over one another as they got more and more excited. She imagined he and the family sitting on the couch, hitting each other and screaming at the Super Bowl. 

The Super Bowl was a theme at the Hawke house. Every year, they’d make a big dish of nachos, buy some soda, bake a cake together, and sit down to watch it. They’d always time the cake perfectly for the end of the game, so they could share it and discuss what happened during the game. Nobody actually cared about the outcome, each of them would pick one team or the other and scream at each other over it. Eden and Carver were partial to picking the team Malcolm did, while Elias and Bethany usually chose Leandra’s. It was rare when Leandra picked the same team as Malcolm, but when she did, Eden and her siblings would always pick the other team. It was unanimous. The family members who picked the losing team owed something to the winning team’s members, like a free dinner or early birthday gift. It was easily the most exciting thing Eden looked forward to.

It changed when Malcolm died. Suddenly the Super Bowl was painful. Leandra tried to get them to participate the first year, but found that no one was in the mood, and they wouldn’t be for years. It was only recently they started to be able to do it again, and even then, it stung with the reminder that Malcolm couldn’t be there to cheer alongside them, to goofily smash Bethany’s hand into the nachos, to adorn Eden’s nose with cake frosting before kissing it off, to wrap his arm around Carver’s neck when he started to get cocky, to chastise Elias about not yelling loud enough, to groan when the half-time show came on and some god-awful pop singer began to screech, but eventually giving in to dance with Eden and Bethany. 

All she had now was stories, pictures, and videos. Luckily, Eden took a lot of pictures and videos, so there was plenty to spare, but...it’s not enough. Eventually the videos run out. Eventually she reaches the end of her Malcolm folder on her phone. It’s never enough.

“You alright over there?” Varric asked, successfully snapping her out of her stupor.

“Uh, yeah!” she stammered. “Just thinking.”

//

**1:23 PM**

“Do you have _any_ good music or am I just supposed to suffer for hours?”

Eden was sprawled out in the passenger’s seat, her legs resting upon the dashboard with the seat pulled back just enough for her to lean comfortably. She noticed Varric’s fingers tap the wheel as he glanced at her for just a moment, a look of passive annoyance gracing his face. She grinned. 

“My music is good,” he protested. “You just don’t have good taste. You need to think like a writer, you see. It’s all about—”

She smacked him in the shoulder, rolling her eyes as she groaned loudly, making a show for him. “Shut up. I’m putting my music on.”

Her fingers landed on his phone resting in the cup holder, her mind knowing exactly where it wanted them to go. The opening notes of the song danced through the car and Varric chuckled. “Starting off strong, huh?”

 _“It’s the time”_ —she responded, answering him through song as her hand twirled through the air— _”of the season. When love runs high.”_

Time of the Season by The Zombies was a very important song to the two of them. It was one of the first times she had let Varric see her let loose, her body swaying as she danced along to the music, having invited Varric over. She had still lived with her mother then, who hated the song, so she cranked it up high and screamed the lyrics as she took Varric’s hand, dragging him along with her movements. It became a theme for them after that. Anytime either of them needed to cut loose, they’d play the song. When Bianca broke up with him, when Eden had a bad fight with Leandra, when Bianca broke up with him (again), when Eden had trouble supporting her siblings. It was always there for them.

 _“And this time, give it to me easy,”_ Varric mumbled, smiling. 

She shoved him again, shouting unintelligibly at him. “Louder! Cut loose! _To take you in the sun to!”_

 _“Promised lands,”_ he sang slightly louder. She beamed. 

_“To show you every one!”_

_“It’s the time,”_ they sang together, the sound bursting through the car, their excited energy bubbling in Eden’s chest, _“of the season for loving!”_

She turned towards him, her hair spilling over her shoulders as she attempted to be seductive. _“What’s your name? Who’s your daddy? Is he rich like me?”_ He raised his hand up and she grabbed it quickly, pulling it to her chest playfully. _“Has he taken, any time, to show you what you need to live?”_

Varric’s speech was breaking up between laughs. “I need that hand to drive, Hawke.”

“Fine,” she groaned loudly, hesitantly relinquishing his hand. “You’re absolutely no fun.”

“Your idea of fun is violently crashing on the highway on the trip to my ex-girlfriend’s wedding?” Her eyes were attracted to Varric’s now free hand, whose fingers were tapping a frantic tune on the wheel, though his expression showed no such franticness. 

“No, of course not. It’s violently crashing on the highway on a trip to Ireland.” She wondered if it was the jokes. Maybe car crashes weren’t the most humorous of topics. 

“We can’t drive to Ireland, Hawke. Bianca doesn’t have wings.” His tone wasn’t any different. Maybe she was wrong. What else could it be?

“Technology advances every day, Tethras! We will soon be able to fulfill our dream of flying to Ireland in a car.”

 _“Your_ dream. I have no intentions of being in a flying car.” 

She laughed, placing her hand over her chest. “Forgetting my fear of planes, Varric? You wound me.”

“Oh, on this 34 hour road trip that could’ve lasted about a few hours if we had taken a plane? Yes, of course, must’ve slipped my mind.”

At this, he threw a teasing glance in her direction, a single eyebrow raised. She tried to bury the smile that was growing on her face and instead glared at him, her arms crossed. “You’re evil and I hate you.”

He laughed, the sound immediately erasing her feigned anger. “I love you too, Hawke.”

//

**4:04 PM**

“Pull over.”

Varric startled, looking over at her for a moment. “What? We’ve still got an hour to go.”

“Pull over right this second! In there,” she said, pointing to her new destination. 

He raised his hand, scrunching up his shoulders. “Okay, okay!” 

They pulled into the parking lot she had pointed to and she immediately got out of the car, leaning down for just a second to chirp, “Be right back!” and sprinted into the store. Her eyes landed on her target and she grabbed it as fast as she could, hurrying to the counter to pay for it and leave. When she got out of the store, she stood in front of Bianca, dramatically whipping out the sparkly purple cowboy hat she had just bought, nestling it upon her head with a giant grin on her face.

She watched Varric roll his eyes, shaking his head and pinching his nose. He looked back up at her, giving her a look of “Really?” and she smiled wider, twirling before climbing back into the car, tipping the hat at him. “Alright, we can go now!”

“Did you really put us back a few minutes so you could buy _that?”_ he asked incredulously, although he couldn’t keep the smile off of his face. 

“Absolutely.” She posed for him. “Don’t I look pretty?”

“Beautiful, in fact,” he agreed, and pulled out of the parking lot.

For some reason, she couldn’t seem to understand the fluttering she felt in her chest at his words. So casually spoken, though obviously teasing, a joke passed between friends. After all, what else could it be?


	3. Wishing Well

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eden and Varric take a break to talk and make wishes beside an Oklahoma lake.

_new york woman thinks that i'm still with her just because i'm sleeping in her arms_

_but i'll be standing_

_oh i'll be standing in that oklahoma sunshine_

_just got off a bus from another world —_

**_oklahoma sunshine - waylon jennings_ **

~

**10:13 PM**

“Hawke, at this rate we’ll get to Missouri at two in the morning.”

“Live a little! Come on!”

The moon shone down upon them, washing them with a soft white light. The air was crisp, the smell of rain and wet grass wafting through the air as Eden dragged Varric to the well she had spotted, her legs tingling with the sprinkle of water. They stopped before the well, Eden pulling up a log to sit on. She watched Varric brush off the top before joining her. 

“So why are we here?” he asked, the sound cutting through the trickle of water gushing from the nearby lake. 

“Don’t tell me you’ve never wished on a well, Tethras,” she teased.

She tried not to remember the times she had made wishes on a well with Malcolm. His smiling face emerged in her memory and she shut her eyes, trying to blink the image away. She didn’t want to think about him. Not now. The image returned, Malcolm’s throat bobbing as he laughed. It was silent. Eden wished she could remember what his laugh sounded like without help from a recording. 

Her desperate gaze landed on Varric as he rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “Maybe when I was a kid? I’m 37, Hawke.”

“So, what, people just lose their excitement for magical things because of age?” She swallowed, trying to uphold her mischievous attitude.

“Hawke—”

“It’s a wish, Varric! What’s the worst that could happen? Either the wish comes true and you rejoice or it doesn’t and nothing changes. For a writer, you really are boring sometimes.”

He sighed heavily, scooting closer to her on the log. “Alright then. Give me a coin. Let’s try to get it in from here.”

She beamed, nudging him with her shoulder as she giggled. “That’s the spirit.” She grabbed two coins from her pocket and gently placed one in his hand, their fingers brushing for a moment. She shuddered.

Varric lined up the shot and flicked his coin directly into the well, the sound of it splashing in the water below following shortly after. “Your turn,” he said, his voice quieter.

“Wha—Did you even wish for anything?” Eden protested. 

“I’ve always got a wish lined up in there,” he responded, tapping his head. “Don’t you?”

Eden attempted to keep a straight face as her mind wandered to Malcolm again. 

_The feel of his hands under her arms as he spun six-year-old Eden in the air, laughing as she protested through giggles. The elation she felt when she crashed to the ground, dizzy, and he immediately joined her, rolling around in the grass and tickling her. The disappointment she felt when Leandra interrupted, insisting Eden come in and start on the dishes. The mischief that passed between the two of them as Malcolm winked, offering a helping hand with the dishes, saying, “You wash and I’ll dry” with a smile._

She wished she could remember his voice. It was always there, like a faint humming in her head, but never as clear as it used to be. Anders had once told her that happened to him, with Karl, and that it was probably just her brain blocking out the trauma of Malcolm’s death. Blocking trauma was cool. Forgetting what her father sounded like wasn’t. 

“Of course I do,” she answered, her voice barely a whisper. “I just know it won’t come true.”

It was silent as she flicked her coin into the well, no particular wish in mind. It wasn’t until after the splash was heard that Varric spoke again, seemingly closer to her than before. Had he moved closer? She hadn’t noticed. “So what did you wish? If your biggest wish is unattainable.”

At this, it was easier to slip back into her persona, and she grinned. “Varric...don’t you know the rules of wishes? You can’t spill the beans or it won’t come true!”

“Is that an official rule? Or just one made up so no one would know each other’s secrets?”

She purred. “Was your wish a dirty secret, Varric? I would’ve never expected. How about this? We can whisper our wishes to each other. That way, the powers that be won’t know we snitched.”

“Is that how that works?” he asked, laughing.

“It does now,” she said, leaning into him to whisper in his ear. “My wish was that you’ll let me drive to Missouri.” She pulled back again, smiling. “What’s yours?”

He hesitated for a moment, something unreadable in his eyes, then leaned forward, close enough for his lips to slightly graze her ear as he spoke. “My wish was that we get back in Bianca and drive to Missouri so we don’t get to the hotel at 4 in the morning,” he mumbled, his voice low in his throat. Eden shivered again, his warmth practically making her melt. Was it always this hot out there? 

They both laughed as he pulled away, scooting a bit away from her. She couldn’t quite describe the tightness in her chest at his movement away from her, but she turned her body to face him and stretched, smiling. “We can’t leave yet! There’s a lake, Varric, we have to swim!”

He groaned. “Hawke, we don’t even have swimsuits.”

“A failure on our part, truly.”

“We are not swimming in the lake.”

“Why? Afraid your tiny little body won’t be able to stay afloat?”

She dodged, cackling, as Varric swung at her, standing up. “You are horrible!” he growled, chasing her as she zipped away from him, heading towards the lake.

“You love me!” she shouted back, throwing herself into the water once she got close enough. The water was cold and she shivered, propelling herself away from the surface to escape the quickly approaching Varric, who immediately leaped into the water, splashing her on the way in. She screamed of laughter, twirling around. “And who said we weren’t swimming in the lake?”

“Shut up,” he shot back, splashing her again, her dark hair sticking to her cheeks. “Only for a little bit, okay? Then we’ll take a few minutes to dry off and _then_ you can drive. Deal?”

She lunged forward, wrapping her arms around him. “Deal!” Pulling back, she smiled. “I didn’t know you could move that fast! You surprise me sometimes, Tethras.”

He chuckled, rolling his eyes. “Don’t make me do that again. I’m old, my frail body can’t handle too much more of that.”

“You’re 37, Varric. If you’re old, then I’m old. And I am sexy and youthful.” She added a twirl at the end of this to emphasize her point.

Varric mumbled something that sounded like, “Tell me about it,” and grinned. “So logically, I too am sexy and youthful?”

“Very,” she responded, not quite sure why her cheeks flushed at her own words. “Now, swim! The moon is watching and she wants you to have fun.”

He laughed. “Fine. Five minutes. Tops.”

“Five minutes! Scout’s honor.”

//

**10:29 PM (a.k.a 7 minutes later)**

The two of them sat together, water dripping off of their bodies. Eden pulled her soaking wet shirt away from her chest, squeezing it to release most of the water from it before letting it go and listening to it smack back against her skin. She turned to Varric with a goofy smile and he sighed, shaking his head. She beamed. “Lucky we left our phones in the car, huh?” 

Varric’s eyes widened, his hand reaching into his pocket and coming back out with his phone pinched between two fingers, a mixture of surprise and disappointment passing over his face. Eden burst into laughter, doubling over as she clutched her stomach. Through tears, she watched Varric smack his phone a few times, shake it, then place it on the ground next to him, covering his face with his hand. “I cannot believe you made me forget that,” he muttered, his voice muffled.

She took a deep breath, attempting to corral her laughter. “It’s waterproof, right? You should be fine. Besides, don’t you have boo koo writer bucks? You can just buy a new one!”

“It’ll be fine,” he grumbled, though a smile was tugging at his lips. “Thanks for the concern.”

She raised her hands in defense. “Hey, you were the one who said we weren’t going swimming! I didn’t make you jump in after me. I must just have that charm,” she hummed, smiling brightly. 

“Yeah, yeah.” He gestured for her to join him as he approached the well, glancing down into it. “What do you think’s down there?”

She took a peek, the blackness that was staring back at her uncomfortably unsettling. She moved closer to Varric. “Lots of coins, probably. If Elias were here, he’d probably say ‘unfulfilled dreams’ or something edgy like that.” 

He laughed quietly, his fingers noticeably twitching as their hands touched, the both of them leaning on the well to look down. “Yeah. Do you believe him?”

“No,” she simply said, her heart racing at his touch. “Unfulfilled is the wrong word. I’d say they’re dreams that haven’t come true yet. All wishes come true. Real ones, anyway.”

“A bit optimistic, even for you, Hawke.”

She breathed out a laugh, gently shoving him with her shoulder. “I can be mushy when I want to be.” She paused. “Unless there’s dead bodies down there.”

Varric pulled her away from the well, leaning down to grab his phone. “Alright, that’s enough of that. Come on, let’s—”

“What’s your dream?” she blurted out before she could stop herself. “We’ve never really talked like that. Not seriously anyway.”

“To be somebody,” he answered, and it had come far too quickly. He had been sitting on that for a while, she thought. 

“You are somebody,” she mumbled, her voice suddenly quiet.

“Yeah, a writer. But I want to do something, help people. I don’t know.”

She glanced over at him. He stood awkwardly still, staring at his phone, the light illuminating his face. It wasn’t often Eden saw Varric vulnerable. She moved over to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. “You will,” she said, and she meant it. After she had received the slightest sign he had taken her statement to heart, she threw her arm over his shoulders. “Now, come on. It’s my turn to drive! I guarantee you we’ll be in Missouri in ten minutes tops.”

“Hawke, it’s a four hour drive.”

“Not if I can help it.”

“If you crash Bianca, Hawke, I _will_ make you carry me on your back all the way to New York. No exceptions.”

She laughed, pulling him closer in a sort of sideways hug. “Deal.”


	4. The Long Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eden and Varric continue the journey in Missouri, where a young girl in need and more of the past lie in wait.

_there's a full moon out tonight_

_all the stars are shining bright_

_the same way that they used to do_

_and it reminds me of the night we fell in love_

_beneath that old missouri moon —_

**_missouri moon - rhonda vincent_ **

~

**11:13 PM**

Eden’s hands gripped the wheel tight. Varric had fallen asleep a few minutes ago, his head tilted away from her. He looked peaceful. He hadn’t started snoring yet (which she supposed was because of his upright position) which she was grateful for, as it may have proved distracting. There was no one on the highway really, it was late and it was the side that was heading out of state. Eden assumed most people didn’t wait until 10 PM to leave the state. Not unless they were running from something. 

A quick glance at Varric made her stomach drop. Was he running from something? Or running _to_ something? Some _one._ Varric didn’t talk about Bianca, not really, so Eden was unsure about his headspace on this trip. One thing she knew for sure: it probably wasn’t going to feel good to see his ex and her fiance get married. Eden was almost mad at Bianca for inviting him, it practically seemed cruel. Was she really supposed to believe that Bianca cared about him enough to want him there on her big day? Or was it to rub it in his face that he couldn’t have her?

She liked to believe Bianca wasn’t like that. Everything she had heard about Bianca had been positive, as Varric never really liked to talk bad about her. But Eden still couldn’t help but feel a bit of resentment for her, after all, she had dragged Varric along for years as her side piece. The only reason Eden didn’t completely despise her is because Varric was a willing participant. Unfortunately. 

Varric shifted in his seat and she smiled, watching him snuggle up tighter. She reached over, a careful eye on the road, and pulled up his blanket, making sure it fit snugly around his shoulders. He hummed. He was a wimp for falling asleep this early. Maybe he felt safe.

//

**12:34 PM**

“I cannot believe you,” Eden grumbled, pulling into the gas station.

“You made me pull over for a hat, am I not allowed to have a bathroom break?”

“No,” she said, turning the wheel violently to park. “Not after you said you were fine 10 minutes ago when I asked you if you needed to use the bathroom.”

“I didn’t then, I need to now!” 

She took the keys out of the ignition, bumping her head against the wheel. “Just go pee, Varric. Get me some snacks.”

“Come on, you don’t want to mess with the clerk?”

Eden hesitated for a moment, cursing Varric for knowing her so well, then climbed out of the car. “Okay, _maybe,_ but only until you’re done. Now get out of here. Asshole.”

“You love me,” he called. 

“You’re lucky I do!” The bell jingled as they walked in, her eyes following Varric as he headed towards the men’s room. Right before he entered, he glanced back at her, knowing she had been watching, and winked. Her face flushed and she flipped him off. She turned, making eye contact with the teenage girl with purple hair behind the counter, and smiled. “It’s a little late for you to be working, isn’t it?”

She stammered, seemingly not quite sure that she was talking to her. “I-I just turned 18. Legal adult. Can work later shifts now.”

“Ah,” Eden replied, clicking her tongue as she slid over to the counter. “Do you like it?”

“Like...what? My job?”

“Night life,” she said with a grin.

“It’s a bit scary, I admit.” The girl hesitated, her hand slipping below the desk. “You’re not going to rob me, are you?”

Eden laughed. “No, I’m not going to rob you. Are you here alone?”

“This really sounds like you’re going to rob me.”

“I—”

“Because if you’re going to rob me, I’m just supposed to give you the money. Here—” 

Eden stopped the girl as she began to open the register. “Kid. I’m not going to rob you! I just don’t like seeing a girl all by herself. You have a manager with you?”

The girl, whose name Eden could now see was Lily, froze. “I am the manager.”

Eden released an annoyed breath. “And you’re here alone?”

“Yeah. My boss, the big boss, he left. Like an hour ago.”

“Look,” Eden said, reaching into her pocket. “Take this. You shouldn’t be out here alone, in a gas station of all things.”

Lily stared down at the pepper spray in Eden’s hand. She glanced back up at her with wide eyes, then carefully took it from her hands, setting it down on the counter next to her. “Thank you,” she offered.

“No problem.” Eden could hear the toilet flush and the bathroom door opening behind her. “Take care of yourself, okay?”

“I wish more pretty women like you would come in and protect me.”

This surprised Eden and she laughed, shaking her head. “You flatter me.” She glanced back at Varric, who was gesturing to the snacks. “Me and my friend here are going to get some snacks. That alright with you?”

“Of course! I’ll even give you a discount.”

Eden gawked at the girl before her. She really must’ve made an impression for this much kindness. She gave Lily a smile before sliding over to Varric a few feet away, her voice a hushed whisper. “I think this kid has a crush on me.”

He chuckled, palming some Cheetos. “I wouldn’t find that hard to believe.”

“I know, I’m beautiful and charming, no need for reminders. But her boss left her all alone, Varric.”

Varric glanced up at her. “So you want to stay here until her boss gets back?”

Eden blinked. “Do not pretend you know me,” she threatened, pointing her finger at him.

He laughed, pushing her away gently. “I do know you, Hawke. Very well, in fact. We can stay.”

She softened, feigned annoyance melting away. “Are you sure? We might—”

The bell on the door jingled and a man strolled in, his hands in his pockets. “Hey, Lily,” he said. Eden glanced over to Lily and she gestured towards the man, mouthing, “My boss.” Eden glowered.

“Hello,” she said, approaching him, a smile plastered onto her face, arms crossed. “My name’s Eden Hawke. Perhaps you’ve heard of me?”

The man looked her up and down. “No?”

She laughed, although the gesture didn’t reach her eyes. “Well, allow me to introduce myself. My mother is Leandra Amell. Does that ring a bell?”

He looked uncomfortable. “The owner of Amell Industries?”

“The very same!” She clapped, sliding her hands into her leather jacket. “I’m quite certain she owns this little store of yours, which is why it would be very unfortunate if I made some calls and let someone know you abandon young teenage girls at night to fend for themselves with no protection at all! Wouldn’t that be unfortunate, Varric?” Her words had a venom to them that her mouth did not match, her smile painfully fake. 

Varric appeared at her side, shaking his head as he grinned. “Quite.”

The man looked panicked, which only egged Eden on. “So I suggest that you give Lily here a raise for risking her life so you could…” she looked down, not even having to be close to him to know he had been drinking, and finished, “...have a few drinks? If the smell wafting off of you is any indication.” The last line she bit out, the fake smile fading from her face. 

“Yeah! Sure!” the man blurted out, his hands up. “Lily can have a raise! Right, Lily? How does $11.50 sound?”

Eden locked eyes with Lily and she straightened as she responded, “12.” Eden beamed. 

“Yeah sure! 12! Is there anything else I can do for you, ma’am?” 

She leaned over to Varric. “Varric?”

“Gas. On the house.”

“Of course!”

The man scurried away. Eden and Varric placed their snacks on the counter, but Lily shook her head. “Just take it. It doesn’t matter anyway, people steal from us all the time. Thank you.”

“Don’t let anyone push you around, kid,” Varric responded. “Especially a man.”

Eden laughed. “I’m glad he said it. Goodnight, Lily.”

“Goodnight!”

As they filled up their free gas, Varric looked over at her, a sympathetic smile on his face. “You didn’t have to do all that, you know.”

“Yes, I did,” she simply said, and the conversation ended. After all, she had been Lily once. Life had been her shitty manager, instead of an actual man. Maybe if she had had an Eden Hawke to threaten someone, things may have been better for her. But truthfully, with Varric standing next to her, his warmth radiating off of her, she thought maybe it wasn’t all bad. Not if it let her meet him.

//

**1:11 AM**

“Hawke, all I’m saying is—”

“No, screw what you’re saying! What _I’m_ saying is—”

“No, no, no, you can’t just interrupt! There’s a process to it, a technique—”

“Yeah, Varric, I like the show too, but the fact of the matter is—”

“Well, you’re not watching it from a writer’s standpoint! You see—”

“No, no! It’s not about a writer’s point of view, it’s about basic understanding of plot and structure—”

“But that’s what makes it different from other shows! The idea is—”

//

**1:59 AM**

“The stars are really pretty tonight,” Eden murmured, her gaze dancing over the stars littering the sky. They were, in fact, really pretty, most of them shining almost with a pulse, as if they were tiny hearts of the sky. Maybe they were. The moon was even bigger out on the road, its white light illuminating the lanes along the highway. 

“Don’t try to distract me,” Varric grumbled, feigning anger. 

“It was an hour ago, Varric!” She laughed, shaking her head. “We agreed to disagree.”

He took a passionate deep breath, raising his hands. “I’m telling you—”

“Here we go again!” she groaned, a smile contrasting her annoyance as she hit her hand against the wheel in preparation.

“—it’s about the creative process, the intricacies—” 

“I get it, Varric! It’s a good show! They just messed up in the most recent season, you have to acknowledge that.”

“Clearly you will never understand, so I suppose we _will_ have to agree to disagree.”

She whined loudly, reaching over to smack him repeatedly. “You! Are such! A drama queen!” 

He chuckled in return, leaning back in his seat. “It’s one of my most endearing qualities.” The conversation paused as a new song started and Eden jerked. Varric abruptly sat back up as the car swerved for just a moment, quickly and easily put back on track by a shaky Eden. “Hawke?”

“Can you change the song please?” she whimpered, her body trembling subtly. She thought she was past this. Apparently not.

Eden’s shoulders relaxed as a new song filtered through Bianca’s speakers, one with a soft, slow beat. She tried to pretend she couldn’t feel Varric’s stare, his eyes on her as she focused on the road again. He put the phone back down and faced her fully, concern laced in his eyes. “Hawke?” he repeated.

“Yes, Varric.”

“What was that?”

“Oh, you know. Just some of that good old trauma I like to pretend doesn’t exist.”

“Hawke…”

She sighed heavily, her hands tightening around the wheel. “It’s just Eddie.”

He hummed softly. “Your ex?”

Edward “Eddie” Ross had been Eden’s boyfriend for a good five years. Well, “good” was the wrong way to describe it, because it was absolute hell. From 16 to 21, Eddie had Eden wrapped around his finger tight. Being so young, she wasn’t able to recognize a bad thing when it presented itself, and by the time she did, it was too late. She was too far down the hole. 

_“Edie…” he crooned, rubbing his thumb along the back of her hand. “It’s just two nights. It isn’t that big of a deal, right?”_

_“Well, I—”_

_“I knew you’d understand.” He kissed her, cupping her face when he pulled away. “I always tell everyone you’re the best. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”_

Eddie and Edie, what a sweet couple. Yeah. 

Someone had called Eden “Edie” a few years after their split and she had to leave the room, visibly shaking and on the verge of tears. The image of his face and the sound of his voice filtered into her head and she winced. Of course she could remember Eddie’s voice, but not her father’s. Typical.

“Yeah,” she finally answered. “That, uh, was one of his favorite songs. I didn’t know it was still on my playlist.” She was actually quite certain she had buried every part of Eddie after they broke up. Maybe she missed something.

Varric’s voice sounded strained. “It’s not. It’s on mine.”

The soft beat of the new song filled the silence that followed his words. Eden struggled to find something to say, but everything fell flat. Another eon of quiet passed before she startled at the feel of his hand on her knee, his fingers squeezing slightly. She stole a glance at him.

“I’m sorry,” he said, regret in his eyes.

Her heart twinged. She took one hand off the wheel to slide it down, curling her fingers around his hand and squeezing it. His hand was warm. “How could you have known?” she simply responded. She hummed. “You’re warm.”

“I run hot, remember?”

She laughed softly. “Is that an attempt to boast about your looks?”

Eden was painfully aware of their hands still together as Varric chuckled. “Do I have to boast?”

She hesitated for a moment, her heart pounding in her chest. She wondered if he could feel her pulse in his hand. God, she hoped not. Taking what she hoped was a subtle deep breath, she smiled, tilting her head towards him. “Of course not. Your face speaks for itself, obviously.”

“Obviously,” he repeated, although he didn’t sound as enthusiastic. His hand slipped away and she couldn’t help but feel an absence as it left, his warmth retreating and the usual chill of her fingertips returning. She always had cold hands. 

“Wait,” he said, making her jump.

“What?”

“Hawke—Hawke, you missed the exit!”

She glanced back, seeing the sign disappear behind them. “Oh, shit.”

Varric laughed, hitting her arm. “Turn around!” 

“I can’t just turn around!” she yelled back at him. “There are rules to the road!” 

“No one’s out here! Just make a u-turn and then turn back on this side!”

“Varric Tethras, you cannot expect me to—”

The two of them bickered over one another, each of them getting louder with each phrase before Eden finally swerved the car around, successfully making it over to the other side and returning to get off at the exit. She smacked Varric in the arm the whole time, screaming through laughter about how dangerous that was and how they should’ve just adjusted to the next exit, but he just returned her laughter, wiping away a tear as he sighed.

“Pay attention next time, Hawke,” he teased. 

“It’s your fault! You and your w-warm hands…” Eden realized what she was saying halfway through the sentence and trailed off, stuttering before shutting her mouth completely. All she heard from Varric was a soft chuckle. 

“They’ll be here when you need to warm up those ice cubes you call hands,” he answered gently. 

She simply hummed, her face flushed at the prospect of holding his hand again. What was going on with her? The moon stared down at her, almost challenging her to something, although Eden couldn’t place what it was. She’d learn soon enough, she was sure. In the meantime, she was going to tighten her grip on the wheel and look ahead at the road. The answer would come. 

Eventually.


	5. The Lost Hounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A search for lost puppies leads Eden and Varric to an opportunity to practice their lying skills.

_ oh and if you spend your whole life _

_ driving horses into troy _

_ you will not go to heaven _

_ you'll go to champaign, illinois —  _

**_champaign, illinois - old 97’s_ **

~

**7:45 AM**

Eden stood in front of the hotel mirror, dead eyes staring back at her as she brushed her teeth. She yawned, toothpaste dribbling down her chin, and leaned forward, allowing it to drip into the sink before spitting it all out, washing it out with her cup of water. She jumped as Varric stepped out of the shower, towel wrapped around his waist. He glanced at her. 

“Having trouble?” He gestured to the sink.

“No,” she replied, wiping the excess off of her face with the back of her hand, trying not to look at Varric’s bare chest. “Weren’t you going to wait until I left?”

“I was,” he said, bending over to grab his clothes from the floor, “but you were taking too long. A man can only stand in a cold shower for so long, you know.”

She crossed her arms, smiling. “Oh, please. Don’t think I’ve forgotten you locking me out of your dorm after just having taken a shower.”

He groaned, making her laugh. “I’ve apologized a million times! I forgot you were in the showers!”

“Apologies do not change the fact that I was stuck outside your room in just a towel for  _ an hour,  _ Varric!” 

She had been, in fact, stuck outside of a college dorm room in only a towel for an hour. The clothes she had worn to travel to the showers in the first place had gotten wet; some asshole deciding to ruin her day, of course. There she was, clutching her wet clothes in one hand, the top of her towel in the other, awkwardly smiling at the students who walked past. Varric, when he had returned home from grabbing some groceries, had laughed himself to ruin. 

“Look, either get out or stop complaining,” he teased. “It’s not like you haven’t seen me shirtless before.”

At the word “shirtless”, Eden gazed back down, her eyes landing on his chest again, droplets of water clinging to the hair that rested on it. She dared to glance up to his head, where he was pushing his wet hair out of his face. He turned to look at her and a strand fell in front of his eye, curling perfectly, and she blushed, her body betraying her. 

“Hawke?” 

She blinked, her usual persona finding its way back. “Technically, I was here first. So you’re the one who has to leave.”

He smirked and crossed his arms, his biceps becoming pronounced with the action, making her heart leap. “So, what? You’re going to make me drip water all over the carpet out there?”

“Just use the hair dryer real quick. Shouldn’t take too long to dry your whole body.”

She was already running out of the bathroom when he threw his pajama shirt at her, the fabric smacking her in the neck as she shut the door behind her. She laughed. Her eyes scanned the hotel room as she bent over, grabbing his shirt off of the floor. The sheets were still messy from Eden rolling out of bed a couple minutes ago, the blanket spilling out on the carpet. The room smelled of the air conditioner that was churning out too-crisp air and dust. She made her way over to it, making sure to turn it off before laying back on the bed. 

A few minutes later, Varric emerged from the bathroom, fully clothed, his hair partially dried. She strained her neck to look up at him, still laying on the bed. “Ready?”

“Yeah. Get your stuff.”

She slid off the bed, purposely being sluggish, grinning. “Ooh, someone’s grumpy! Was it my height comment? You know it’s only ever out of love.”

Varric froze and Eden could see the gears turning in his head, although what he was trying to figure out, she wasn’t sure. It didn’t matter though, because his confusion melted into a smile. “Of course not. I don’t need to be tall to be suave and charming.”

“Very true,” she agreed, and they left the hotel.

//

**12:43 PM**

“Hawke, why don’t we take a break?”

“You noticed my optimism draining? How observant.”

Eden threw herself to the grass, clutching the missing dogs poster in her hand. They had found it about an hour ago. She knew Varric had wanted to keep moving, they were on a schedule after all, but the smile on those dogs’ faces was too much for her. He agreed to help her search with no complaints. That’s what she loved about Varric. Always willing to make her happy.

“We’ll find them,” he reassured her, sitting down on the ground next to her, his hand patting her leg.

She squeezed his hand, then sat up. “We probably won’t. But it’s alright! It gives us time to practice!” 

“Practice…?” 

The idea bubbled in her chest, an indescribable feeling spreading through her veins. “Being madly in love, of course! We don’t want to be shitty at it when we get to the wedding, do we?”

She could see his hesitation, the way his throat bobbed as he swallowed, before his signature grin slipped onto his face. “You want to practice being my girlfriend?”

Eden tried not to acknowledge how the phrase “my girlfriend” made her heart flip. “Uh, yeah? What if we get there and we tell completely different stories?”

“Why would we be separated?”

The question caught her off guard and she blinked. “Obviously because I am super sexy and popular and everyone will be dying to get alone time with me.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What kind of alone time?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she replied, her stomach twisting, although her tone was teasing. 

He laughed softly. “Alright, fine. Keep in mind not everything has to be made up.”

“Like?”

“How we met, our first date—”

“Varric?” He glanced over at her. “Our first date?”

“Yeah. Don’t you think the carnival is close enough to a date?”

Bits of memories of that day began to play in Eden’s mind. The carnival had been the first time the two of them had hung out outside of studying for school, about a year after they had met. It had been the day she had introduced him to her siblings, though it didn’t last for long. 

Carver had been too busy chasing Merrill all over the fair—she was easily fascinated by things—so he never really had the chance to truly meet Varric. Isabela had whisked an unsuspecting Fenris off into the shadows somewhere. Sebastian had taken Bethany home, they both decided they had more important things to be doing (Sebastian’s was preparing material for church and Bethany’s was homework). Anders had left to go to the bathroom and Elias had followed him. Eden frowned, remembering how close Elias and Anders used to be. How in love they were.

_ “You afraid of heights, Hawke?” Varric asked, pointing out how she was clutching the side of the Ferris wheel cart. _

_ “How could you tell?” she bit back, grimacing.  _

_ He laughed, holding out his hand. “Hawke. It’s alright. These things are designed to keep you safe. Besides, why’d you get on it if you were scared?” _

_ She quickly grabbed his hand, squeezing tight, while softening a bit. “You wanted to ride it,” she simply said.  _

_ “Here,” he said, turning towards her. “Ground yourself. Make sure both of your feet are touching the bottom. Grab onto the rail with your other hand. Take a deep breath. Now, you can look at me, look at our hands, or look ahead. Notice how none of those options were looking down. Okay?” _

_ She took a long, deep breath. “Okay.” _

_ Suddenly the ride didn’t seem as scary. _

It was kind of impressive how close Eden and Varric had gotten so quickly. There wasn’t really an awkward period, they hit it off right away and never stopped being close. Everything felt easier with him. Simpler, faster, smarter. 

Her cheeks grew hot as she remembered why she was thinking about it in the first place. “You’re saying a whole night of babysitting my friends and having a heart attack on the Ferris wheel could be romantic?”

He shrugged. “Sure. Say, we got up to the top, the lights were glimmering, and the way your eyes twinkled was too much for me, and I leaned in for our first kiss.”

“And I noticed you moving closer and all of my fears melted away, so I closed my eyes and let you kiss me?”

“And it was the best kiss you’ve ever had,” he added, grinning. 

She laughed, the sound strained. “I don’t know if I’d say that.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t you want to play up the romance? Make everyone there jealous?”

She hesitated, throwing some grass at him. “I hate that you know me so well. Fine! It was a beautiful, romantic kiss on top of the demon wheel and it was the best kiss I’ve ever had. And you smelled like vanilla and oil. It was intoxicating.” She paused, adding, “Obviously,” to calm the pounding in her chest. 

“You smelled like lavender and cherries,” he mumbled, staring off into the distance. “Tasted like cherries too. From the cherry slushie you were drinking.”

She snorted. “You remember what flavor slushie I was drinking?” 

“Yeah,” he replied, the far away look in his eye still there. “It stained your tongue red for hours. I saw it every time you laughed.”

“Ooh, good detail,” she chirped, and he turned over to her, wide-eyed. 

His shocked expression melted away into an easy smile. “That’s my job, Hawke.”

“That should be good, right? Everything else we can make up on the spot. We’re good at playing off of each other.”

He groaned, pinching his nose. “They’re going to ask you about our sex life.”

Eden blanked. “Excuse me,  _ why  _ would they do that?”

“New Yorkers are curious people?”

“Well,” she said, laughing as she slid over to him, “don’t you worry your little head. I’ll tell them you’re show-stopping.”

He groaned again as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Don’t tell them anything weird, please. You may not have to see them anymore, but at least some of them will reach out to me, if not only to mooch money or fame off of me.”

“Perish the thought!” she said, very much not perishing the thought. “By the way, completely unrelated thought, what kind of kink would New Yorkers find extremely disturbing?”

“Hawke,” he warned, and she cackled, rolling off of him and standing up. 

“Alright, alright. Let the puppy search continue?” 

Varric glanced up at the hand she was holding out of him before letting her help him up. “Let’s go,” he agreed.

Eden sobered for a moment. “I know we should get going. I promise we’ll only look for a few more minutes.”

“Don’t worry about it, Hawke,” he said, and she never knew one sentence could melt her heart so much.

//

**12:51 PM**

Eden whistled, crouching to the ground as the jingle of a collar became louder. “Come here, buddy! Come here, we aren’t going to hurt you!” She glanced up at Varric, who was still standing, and tugged on his shirt. “Get down! You’re gonna scare him.”

“I thought I was short enough to seem unintimidating,” he teased, but leaned down anyway. 

The dog bounded over, rubbing his face on Eden’s hand. She smiled as she pet him, carefully picking him. He licked her face enthusiastically. “Hey, boy,” she giggled. “Can you show us where your siblings are?”

_ BARK!  _ the dog responded. 

Eden turned to Varric. “Think that was a yes?”

Varric gestured ahead. “I’d say so.” The other two dogs sprinted over to them, trying to hop up to meet their brother. Eden laughed as they tickled her legs. Varric saved her quickly, scooping up the dogs in either hand and turning to her. “Where to?”

“Follow me!” she chirped, glancing down at the paper. 

In a matter of time, they had arrived at a shop, its bright sign screaming down at them. Eden held the door open for Varric just as a shrill shriek filled her ears. She startled, the door hitting her back. A woman rushed over to them and the dog wriggled out of Eden’s hands, the other two quickly following suit to dance around the woman. 

“Oh, I’m so glad you found them! We’ve been worried sick,” she cried, laughing as she picked one of them up. 

Another woman peeked her head around the corner. “Amelia? Is that the puppies?”

“It is!” The first woman handed one of the dogs to the second and she hummed with delight. “Thank you so much for taking the time to find them. Where were they?”

“By the park,” Varric explained, sliding an arm around Eden’s waist before she could realize what was happening. “They got a favorite spot there?”

The second woman sighed. “Yes, they do. I should’ve figured they’d go there.”

Amelia slid over and gave her a kiss. “It’s alright, Sarah. We’ll know if it happens again.”

“How can we repay you?” Sarah asked. “You two seem like a nice couple.”

Oh. That’s what Varric was doing. Eden opened her mouth to speak but Varric answered first, squeezing her side. “Oh, we won’t want much. Although I’m sure this one wants to take a look around your store.”

“Oh!” Eden exclaimed, feigning embarrassment. “Honey! Really, we don’t need anything. Returning them was enough of a reward.”

Sarah waved her hand. “No, no. Take a look around! Whatever you want is on the house.”

Varric slipped away, grabbing her hand to kiss her knuckles softly. “I’ll get you something nice. Pick something out for me?”

She leaned down to kiss his forehead, careful not to leave a lipstick mark. “Of course, baby.”

Eden tried to stifle a snicker as Varric grimaced at the word “baby”, rolling his eyes before heading deeper into the shop. She turned to the two women. “How long have you two been together?”

Amelia sighed softly, kissing Sarah on the cheek. “Married 4 years now. I couldn’t ask for a better wife.”

“Oh, hush you.” Sarah giggled, and Eden’s chest filled with warmth. So domestic and sweet. She could only help but imagine herself owning a shop like this, maybe a bakery, telling the story of her and her wife to customers. 

She glanced over to Varric.

Her and her husband, maybe.

“What are your dogs’ names?” she blurted out to ward off the confusion buzzing in her head. Why had her fantasy changed? Why did Varric change it? 

“Oh!” Amelia chimed. “Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. We love The Three Musketeers.”

Eden’s eyes landed on a golden quill that rested on the counter. She smiled, reaching forward to pluck it from its holder. “I think I’ll take this,” she said, before realizing she hadn’t responded to the names. “And those are cute names! I’d be partial to Huey, Dewey, and Louie myself.”

Amelia laughed. “We actually thought about it, but they sound too similar, it would confuse them.”

Varric joined them at the counter, 2 Hawaiian shirts in his hands. “Thank you for the items, ladies. Keep an eye on those dogs, will you?”

“Or we might have to come back in and grab more free stuff,” Eden added, grinning.

“You two stay safe! Thank you again!”

The two of them waved goodbye, pushing each other lightly as they exited the shop.  _ “Baby?”  _ Varric balked. 

Eden cackled, snatching the Hawaiian shirts from his hands to give them a look. “I thought it was a nice touch.”

“It was not,” he said, holding out his hand for his gift. “It felt like a personal attack.”

She gently placed the quill in his hand as she climbed into Bianca. “Well, get used to it, baby. You’re gonna hear it  _ all  _ night at the wedding.”

Her smile froze momentarily as she noticed him sliding into the driver’s seat, his eyes on the quill. She watched his thumb glide along it absentmindedly before he placed it softly in the cup holder. Closing the door to the car, he glared over at her. “If you call me baby ever again, you are giving me full permission to call you something horrible like...bunny or sweetie pie.”

“Please do!” she burst out, choking on her own laughter. “Honey bun!” 

Varric sighed heavily, pulling out of the parking lot. “I don’t know why I challenge you to anything.”


	6. Hard To Stomach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varric takes a moment to appreciate the little things as Eden gains a mild case of food poisoning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the only(?) chapter from varric's pov! wanted to let you know before you went in, also thank you so much for reading my story i love each and every one of you so much <3
> 
> (also! bit of a mention of throwing up at the end, just as a warning!)

_oh the long nights in the small room_

_with the big dreams_

_oh indiana_

_you're only dying here_

_and they don't understand you_

_it's a tough road but you start slow_

_and before you know it_

_you're not alone —_

**_indiana - melissa etheridge_ **

~

As Varric glanced down at the shivering Eden Hawke beneath the motel room’s covers, it started to dawn on him that this trip might’ve been a bad idea. Her eyelashes fluttered as she struggled to open her eyes. Her nose was red, matching her fingertips, and she reached out to him.

“You were right,” she muttered.

Varric stifled a laugh. “So next time I tell you not to eat something you found in the far reaches of a gas station, you’ll listen?”

“No,” she mumbled, a weak grin spreading on her face.

He shook his head. That was Hawke, alright. “Look,” he said, patting her outstretched hand. “You just hold on, okay? I’ll run to the store and get you some soup.”

“Do they make microwavable soup?”

Varric paused. “Ramen?”

Eden nodded her head slowly. “Ramen,” she agreed. 

He was hesitant to leave Eden alone in her weakened state, but she had to get some actual food in her system. Maybe he’d get some crackers and water too. Maybe ginger ale? 

Truthfully, he hadn’t known what he was doing when he decided to ask her to be his date. It was like his mind took over, making decisions for him, urging his hands to pick up the phone and call her over so he could pop the question. If only she had understood.

He didn’t blame her, of course. As he climbed into Bianca, he reflected on how the conversation had gone. Honestly, what kind of insane person hears their best friend say, “I need you to be my date to my ex-girlfriend’s wedding,” and thinks they were serious? Well, he was. Serious.

Despite being incredible with words around anyone else, he got all mixed up around Eden. Bianca’s wedding probably wasn’t an ideal time to ask Eden out anyway, but he saw the opportunity and jumped. Yeah. See what good that got him. So when he said— 

_“I need you to be my date.”_

—she heard—

_“I need a plus one and you’re the only one I can ask.”_

—when what he really said was—

_“I want you to go to this wedding as my girlfriend.”_

C’est la vie, he supposed.

Varric’s mind was racing as he strolled around the grocery store, hunting for anything that would make her feel better. He knew she didn’t like being weak; sick, injured, whatever. He clenched his fist. This trip was an infinitely stupid idea. What was he even thinking, dragging Eden along to _Bianca’s wedding?_

_And she doesn’t even know. She sits there with her perfect smile and perfect laugh and perfect eyes and doesn’t even know._

It was laughable, really. The great Varric Tethras, easily frozen in his tracks by a simple smile. Varric “Don’t Catch Feelings Anymore” Tethras was head over heels for this woman and she didn’t even _know._ He hummed. Maybe he was better at hiding it than he thought. It was easy to slip into a different side of himself, the side that was just a Good Friend, the side that lets her sleep over when she’s drunk and it’s late and lets her have the bed while he sleeps on the couch, the side that shows up at her house at 4 in the morning because she called. 

Just friends. Just a good friend being a good friend. 

There was this look she got whenever he’d show up. This sparkle in her eyes that only he seemed to notice. That only he seemed to cause. Even with the entire language at his fingertips, even with _all_ languages, he would never be able to describe that spark. That gleam of light when she smiled; her real smile, not the mischievous grin she wore like clothing. Eden Hawke had taken his heart and run with it without ever noticing a thing. 

“Excuse me,” a voice startled him out of his musings. “Are you Varric Tethras?”

As the girls took pictures with him and asked him to sign his autograph, his mind was far away. It was a mindless drill at this point: accept words of praise, pose for pictures, sign his name, accept more words of praise, then explain he had somewhere to be and try to slip away. He could feel their eyes on them as he moved away, handling a cup of ramen. Get food, get water, get out.

When he arrived back at the motel, Eden was on the phone, her hushed voice carrying to the door. “Why?” she murmured. 

Varric paused. He knew he shouldn’t eavesdrop, but he wanted to allow her to finish her conversation. “Relax, Carver,” she said. “Merrill will be okay.

A beat. “Carver, dear brother, I’d love to mourn your not-dying girlfriend but I am currently dying myself. Please get back to me in 3-5 business days. I love you.”

Varric took this opportunity to walk in, raising the grocery bags in his hands theatrically. “Your savior has returned!” he announced.

“Oh, my!” she responded, placing the back of her hand on her forehead, as if she was fainting. “My savior, bringer of microwave ramen and ginger ale! How lucky I am!”

He turned to look at her, noticing she had sat up since he had left. Instead of hiding under the covers like she had been before, her whole upper half was showing, which gave him the ability to see she was wearing one of his shirts. The sides of her chest peeked out just a little bit in the dip of his shirt, and his body stuttered. How a woman who was sick to her stomach could look so ethereal, he didn’t know, but what he did know is that it was near impossible to take his eyes off of that opening of his shirt. 

“Oh, this?” she said, snapping him out of his stupor. “You may be shorter than me but those guns you call arms are big enough that this shirt fits, and I needed something bigger and comfier. You don’t mind, do you?”

He forced himself to swallow the lump in his throat and smiled, turning away to start making the ramen. “When have I ever cared about you borrowing my stuff? Just make sure you don’t leave the motel. We don’t want that headline you mentioned earlier to become a reality, do we?”

He heard her snort. “Maybe that’s what I wanted.” 

“Of course it is,” he teased, trying to ignore the way his shoulders tensed up at her words. “Why don’t you slide back down into bed? I’ll bring this over to you when it’s done. In the meantime,” he paused, tossing a ginger ale over to her, which she easily caught, “drink that. It’ll do you good.”

“What would I do without you?” she mused, the sound of the can opening filling the air. They fell silent. The sound of the microwave humming and the sparkling of the ginger ale were the only things he could hear, besides the rushing of blood through his ears. Varric swore he was going to have a heart attack because of her. Her and that low cut shirt. 

It wasn’t long before Varric was beside her, watching her spoon the ramen into her mouth, the broth trickling down her chin. She wiped it away, smiling at Varric. He sighed. “What is it?”

“You’re so good to me, you know that?”

“Yes, Hawke. Eat your ramen.”

“I feel like I’m dying.”

“So you’ll listen next time?”

She stared at him with pleading blue eyes, her lips in a pout. “Maybe.”

He tried to stifle the smile that was threatening to grow on his face. “Eden,” he said sternly. 

The use of her first name was foreign to Varric. He didn’t use it often, almost as if he didn’t have the privilege to address her so personally. As he watched her cheeks flush, he cursed himself for not being confident enough to use it, and raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Fine,” she finally said, hamming up the pouting act. “Yes. You are always right and I am just a big stupid idiot.” 

He chuckled, reaching over to push some hair out of her face. “I wouldn’t say that, Hawke. Eat up.”

She startled as his fingers brushed her face. She wasn’t wearing her usual combo of purple eyeshadow and dark red lipstick, her lips were plump and pink, and her hair fell in front of her eyes, pushed aside by Varric’s careful hand. God, she was gorgeous. He hoped she couldn’t feel his pulse, how quick it became at the privilege of laying his eyes upon her. 

This trip was going to kill him. 

He moved from her side, leaving her to her ramen. Checking his phone, his eyes landed upon a single text from Bianca, and he tensed up. 

_Bringing Eden, are you? I can’t wait to meet her._

He inhaled sharply. Hearing Eden’s name in Bianca’s voice, even through text, was too painful. He quickly typed out a response, his anxiety spiking. 

_Hawke’s a delight. I’ll make sure to keep her away from any valuable items._

A cool response, as usual. Can’t reveal too much. That was the Varric Tethras way.

_All of my items are valuable, Tethras. But I’ll be sure to keep that in mind._

Bianca’s leash around his neck tightened. He wished he could break free of it, but the fact that he had dropped everything to go to this wedding in the first place proved he wasn’t done being dragged along like a lost puppy. His fist clenched. _Just make through today, Tethras. Deal with bullshit feelings later._

“Varric?” Eden’s voice called, efficiently sending him careening back down to Earth. She had that effect on him. Her voice was soft and light, almost vulnerable, and he was almost scared to turn around, like he would find her broken and crying. 

His expression was cool and calm as he turned, his eyes connecting with her pleading ones. “Already want more?” he asked. 

“Can you...can you rub my stomach? I think that’ll make me feel a bit better.”

_Jesus fucking Christ._

“Need a strong, manly hand? Can do,” he joked, none of his nervousness showing in his tone. He sat down next to her, gently pulling up her (well, his) shirt to reveal her bare stomach. She’d never admit it, but Varric knew she was a bit self conscious of her stomach, always wearing something a bit baggy or pulling her pants up over it. He slid his hand in circles, the action making her hum and close her eyes. 

“Thank you,” she murmured, and then opened her eyes abruptly. 

“Hawke?” he questioned, but only had a few moments before she shot out of bed, rushing to the bathroom. The door slammed behind her and seconds later, retching and the sound of water splashing filled the air. Varric winced. 

Eden emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, a large grin spread across her face. “I feel better now,” she simply said, and he laughed. 

“You sure? We can always go home, Bianca’ll understand.” Truthfully, Varric didn’t know if she would or not. He just wanted to make Eden comfortable. 

“Nah,” she said, facing away from him, taking off his shirt and throwing it backwards towards him, reaching for her bra. “I feel much better. The road trip can commence once more!” 

He rolled his eyes, persistently ignoring the way her back curved as she clasped her bra into place, and chuckled. “Alright then, Red Lips. Get your makeup on and let’s go.”

“Think I’ll go without it today.” She turned, her bra fully on now, and snatched her shirt off of the bed, slipping it on. “Switch it up. I still look stunning without it, don’t I?”

She asked in such a way that Varric knew it wasn’t a question, more of a proclamation, but he nodded and smiled anyway. “I would be a mad man to suggest otherwise. Though if you’re done putting on a show, I’ll be waiting in the car.”

She shook her head, sticking her tongue out at him. “You love it.”

And as Varric left the motel room, he thought about how much truly did love it. And how much he loved her.


	7. Family History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eden and Varric take another detour to attend a carnival.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry this is the longest chapter yet. blame elusetta
> 
> (also! important side note: malcolm is black! eden is biracial <3)

_spare me just three last words_

_"i love you" is all she heard_

_i’ll wait for you_

_but i can't wait forever —_

**_ohio is for lovers - hawthorne heights_ **

_~_

**7:03 PM**

“You know, when I asked you to go on this trip with me, I never imagined we would be making so many pit stops.”

Eden nudged Varric as they stood in line for the carnival, the bright lights dancing in her eyes. Almost as soon as they arrived in town, they saw the sign, and Varric was already pulling into the parking lot before she could say a word. The air was charged with excitement and laughter; children dragging their parents along to the next life-threatening ride, couples making their way through the Tunnel of Love, teenagers posing for pictures as they climbed on top of each other, peace signs and silly expressions abound. Music danced through the fairground, creating a symphony of art and fun. 

“That’s because you’re no fun,” Eden responded, thanking the ticket person. “How could we pass up on a carnival? Are we supposed to sulk and brood all the way to Bianca’s wedding?”

“Well, we would be having a _grand_ time in New York by now, but—”

“Stop making fun of me!” she protested, laughing as she hit him. “You’re the one who decided to agree to drive there.”

He rolled his eyes, offering a soft smile. “I could never do anything to make you uncomfortable.”

She turned towards him, arms crossed, an eyebrow raised. 

“...Your Majesty,” he added, accompanied by a shit-eating grin. 

“That’s what I thought,” she bit out, kicking him lightly in the leg. “Where to first?”

Varric began to answer, but then looked down at his phone at the same time Eden felt hers buzz. She glanced down, opening the message they had both received. 

**_kirkwall crew_**

_9 members_

**Carver:** Anyone got any dinner plans?

 **Eden:** having dinner without us? you’re breaking my heart

 **Carver:** You hung up on me. You deserve to miss out on dinner

 **Isabela:** sibling drama? do tell 

**Carver:** Don’t you dare 

**Eden:** well, you see, carver was frantically calling me about his wonderful girlfriend

 **Bethany:** he bothered you about it too? jesus carver you’re a simp

 **Merrill:** carver you were talking about me? was it cute? 🥺

 **Isabela:** of course it was cute, kitten. it was about you

 **Carver:** Can we get back to the issue at hand??? Please????

 **Varric:** You’re adorable when you’re grumpy, Junior. 

**Anders:** can’t make it to dinner guys. late night at the clinic

 **Eden:** anders, it’s 5 o’clock

 **Bethany:** you know he probably just wants to spend more time with the cats

 **Anders:** maybe so!!! sue me!!!

 **Sebastian:** I just made some sausage and rice? Does that sound good?

 **Eden:** dear sebastian! sausage sounds delicious i’ll be there in 10 minutes

 **Sebastian:** Miss you too, Hawke.

 **Fenris:** can you guys text each other separately? i’m trying to sleep.

 **Eden:** FENRIS IT’S 5 O’CLOCK

 **Anders:** just mute the chat

 **Merrill:** does that mean you’re not coming to dinner :(((

**Fenris:**

****

**Fenris:** i’ll be there shortly. 

**Merrill: 🥺🥺🥺💚**

**Varric:** Never change, Daisy. 

“You two look like you need something to do!” A carnival worker’s voice ripped her attention away from her phone, and she glanced up to see him smiling at them. His gaze dropped to Varric. “Try to win something for your lady friend? Only 5 bucks!”

Forgetting herself, she started to stutter, “Oh, no, we’re not—” but Varric cut in with a swift, “I would love to.”

Remembering they were supposed to be together, she grinned, stepping forward as Varric placed a 5 dollar bill on the counter. The game was a shooting game, with 5 crossbows lined up to shoot the several wooden monsters swirling around the fake scenery. Varric grabbed a crossbow, lining up a shot, then glanced up at the worker. “What would get me that big stuffed dog up there?”

Eden glanced up as the worker answered, her eyes landing on the plushie he was referring to. It was a light brown dog with a cartoonishly happy smile plastered on its face, its eyes big and shining under the lights of the fair, and she immediately became attached. Varric knew her too well. Eden missed what the worker had said, but Varric seemed confident, and lined up his shot again. 

“Ooh, better luck next ti…” the worker had started to say, but his jaw dropped as he observed Varric’s shots. He had hit every target. An unfamiliar chill ran down Eden’s spine as Varric turned back to look at her, a cocky grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

“The dog, my good sir?” he beckoned. 

He and the worker stared at each other for a long moment, and Eden could tell the man was contemplating admitting the game was rigged and denying them the prize, or giving them the prize to retain the fair’s integrity (of which, of course, it had none). He finally gave them a blatantly fake smile and took the dog off of its hook, handing it to Eden. “Enjoy your prize,” he said, his voice less enthusiastic as before. 

She beamed at him. “Thank you!” she chirped, and the two of them ran off quickly, laughing. “How did you do that?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “You just gotta know _how_ it’s rigged. You’re welcome, by the way.”

“Oh, yes of course!” she cried out, dropping to her knees, the ground digging into her bare skin. “How can I ever repay you for cheating a rigged system so I could have a large, stuffed dog?” 

He pulled her from the ground as she swooned, straightening her dress and moving her away from him. “You can stand right there and let me take a picture of you with it.”

“Ooh, keepsakes!” She gasped dramatically, her hand flying to her mouth. “But today was the day I decided not to wear makeup! I can’t be seen like this! No picture.”

He groaned loudly, urging her to stand still. “Cut the dramatic act, you know you’re gorgeous no matter what’s on your face. I told you that earlier.” 

She grabbed his hand, kissing his knuckles softly, then moved back into position. “And you don’t need to. I am obviously the most beautiful woman to walk the Earth.” 

It was silent as he took the picture, showed it to her, then sent it to the groupchat. After they had received positive responses, Eden took him by the hand and dragged him to the largest tent. He apologized to the people they passed as she rushed him to a seat, sitting down and calling the cotton candy vendor over to their seats, taking a blue one for her and a pink one for him, respectively. They had arrived halfway through the show, but Eden was less concerned with the show and more concerned with seeing Varric’s eyes light up. 

“A volunteer!” the woman below shouted, her clothes jingling with the jewels adorning them. “Who wants to be our volunteer?”

Varric’s eyebrow raised, and Eden slowly raised her hand, surrounded by the hundreds of people jumping up and down, screaming out, “ME!” as they waved their arms frantically. Eden wasn’t worried, she was in a sea of people and wasn’t making herself noticeable. Her dress was black, she wasn’t wearing her lipstick that normally made her stand out, and she refused to stand up. There was no way—

“How about you, milady?” Eden squinted as the spotlight landed on her, the blinding light catching her off guard. “The maiden with dark hair and black clothing!” 

She hesitated as Varric burst into laughter, holding out his hand for her cotton candy. She reluctantly passed it to him, standing up, and accepting the hand of the performer that was waiting for her. He wrapped a harness around her waist, and reassured her she wouldn’t be in danger before tugging on the rope and gently sending her down the stands to the stage. When her feet touched the ground, the woman guided her to the chair in the middle of the stage, patting her lightly on the head. 

“Ladies and gentlemen! Feast your eyes upon our unlucky volunteer!” She turned towards Eden with a dazzling smile. “And what name is attached to a creature as beautiful as yourself?”

“Eden Hawke,” she offered, and the woman’s eyes lit up, almost as if they were sharing a secret only they knew. 

“Our esteemed guest is Eden Hawke, a beautiful model and activist!” the woman announced, and Eden blushed. Oh. That was the secret. “All she has to do is sit there and look pretty! But what’s the catch? You all know there must be one...here it is! If she flinches, she loses, and we get to dump this bucket of water on her!” She gestured upwards, where a gigantic bucket loomed ominously over Eden’s head. “If not, she gets free tickets to the carnival for a lifetime, along with a very special ride through the Tunnel of Love with the companion of her choice!”

The crowd oohed and ahhed, clapping and whistling, and the woman winked at Eden before flipping out of the way. Eden took a deep breath, faced flushed, and looked up into the crowd, scanning the audience to find her seat again. To find Varric. When her eyes landed on him, everything else faded away. The crowd’s cheers became muffled in her ears, and she watched him smile, taking a bite of her cotton candy instead of his own. The fire—which she barely recognized was surrounding her—danced in his eyes, a mischievous spark shining in the golden color. 

There was nothing else in that moment, just Eden and Varric, just two friends messing around at a carnival. No crowd, no performers, no distractions designed to make her flinch, just Eden Hawke and Varric Tethras, and the two of them locked eyes for the entirety of the bit. His expression softened. Her heart melted. 

The woman came back on the stage, enticing applause from the audience, and handed her the two tickets for the Tunnel of Love. She clicked a button on her microphone and leaned down, whispering in Eden’s ear, “I wouldn’t mind if you took me through the Tunnel of Love. Just a suggestion,” and pulled away, smiling brightly. Eden blushed.

//

**8:02 PM**

The bars secured themselves in place, too tight, and the cart lurched, sending Eden and Varric into the Tunnel of Love. The cart was a bright pink heart with very little space, and they were squished up next to each other, very little room between the two of them, if any at all. She chuckled softly. “You know, that performer wanted to ride this with me?” she said. 

“Oh?” Varric’s hand flexed around the bars. “Must be your natural charm.”

“Well, of course. Women can’t resist me.”

“So...you said no because you don’t have time for a sweeping romance in one night? I think you could pull it off.”

“Of course I could pull it off. Any woman would be lucky to spend a night with me,” Eden retorted. “But I wanted to force you to ride it. Payback for the Ferris wheel.”

His finger tapped on the metal bar. “You don’t have to hold back because of me,” he muttered.

She laughed, nudging him with her shoulder. “What are you even talking about? I’m committed to you, baby. What kind of woman would I be if I cheated on my fake boyfriend?”

“I’m serious, Hawke,” he said through laughter. “She’s pretty. I wouldn’t blame you if you went for it.”

“You wound me to imply that annoying you comes after _anything,_ even dazzling, beautiful women who are clearly interested in me.” She giggled, dropping the act for a moment. “What would I gain from that, anyway? I’m not really a long-distance type person.”

Varric grimaced at this, and Eden wondered what gears were turning in that head of his. He was acting completely strange. “Would you though?”

She blinked. “Would I make out with a carnival performer in the deep reaches of the fair she works at? Well—”

“Try long distance,” he interrupted. “If you thought it was worth it.” 

“Why?” she said, eyeing him suspiciously. “Are you trying to set me up with some French guy so he can get you free tickets to ‘come visit me’?” 

Varric let out a soft, defeated laugh and shook his head, glancing up at the ceiling, leaving his gaze up there as he spoke. “Your perception skills are through the roof, Hawke. But no, not French. Maybe Irish.”

“Ooh, I do love me a good Irish accent.” 

Varric laughed louder this time, the noise echoing throughout the Tunnel. “Yeah, I know, you Rabbi Milligan fangirl.”

Eden balked. “Oh, _shut up!_ I don’t bully you for your taste in crushes!” 

“You totally do! You—”

Their conversation halted as incredibly loud romantic music began to blare through the speakers of the ride, dimming the lights as well. The only source of light was the pink glow of their cart, the soft hue framing Varric’s face, literal hearts in his eyes from the shape of the lights. They could barely hear their own laughter over the music, but Eden watched Varric’s smile lines deepen, his throat bob, his eyes crinkle, and her heart fluttered. He looked beautiful. 

Wait.

He looked... _beautiful?_

This was a different kind of beautiful. Not the usual, “Of course he’s handsome, he’s Varric.” This was absolutely heart-stopping, breathtaking, gut-wrenching beautiful. Like the explosion of colors that accompanied the sunset. Like the first snow of winter. Like freshly-bloomed flowers swaying in a cool spring breeze. 

Fortunately for Eden, the ride was over as soon as the thought popped into her head, and she helped him out of the cart, trying to ignore the pit in her stomach. “Eden!” a voice called, and she turned to see the woman from before jogging towards her. 

Varric glanced at her, then winked. “I’ll leave you to it,” he said, walking away and disappearing into the bathrooms. 

She watched him go, her gaze lingering longer than usual, and turned back to the woman, accepting the stuffed dog from the worker she had made hold onto. “Sorry I passed earlier,” she said, her voice low and uncharacteristically quiet. “You seemed busy.”

The woman laughed. “Don’t sweat it, darling. I didn’t know you were here with someone.”

“We’re not—”

“Honey.” Eden’s mouth closed. “From the way you look at him, you might as well be.”

Eden swallowed. “I can’t.”

As the woman processed what she said, Eden went through her own processing. No, she couldn’t. Varric was a friend. Varric was the friend who you got horribly drunk with on a Friday night and woke up next to, craving burgers. Varric was the friend who showed up in the middle of the night to help you with a problem. Varric was— 

Oh shit, Varric was _dependable._ Varric was _there._

Nope. Eden was not doing this. Not now. Not while she was driving across the country to pretend to be Varric’s girlfriend at his ex’s wedding. 

“Darling?” the woman repeated and snapped Eden out of her thoughts. “Why not?”

Eden choked out a lie. “He’s with somebody. Getting married this week, actually. And I’ve got a girl back home, very cute, good with cats, borderline arsonist. You know. The good stuff.”

She crossed her arms, a knowing smirk on her face. “Uh huh. Well you tell this cute, arsonist, cat lover that she’s lucky to have you, you hear me?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The woman laughed as she walked away, leaving Eden stunned. “Have a good night, Eden Hawke.”

//

**9:23 PM**

“Hawke, you’re getting chocolate all over your hands.”

Eden balanced the s’more between two fingers, the heat from the dripping chocolate stinging her skin. “That’s the whole point of s’mores, Varric.” 

Varric’s eyes glowed in the amber hue of the campfire before them as he turned with a grin. “I don’t remember them being this messy.”

“That’s because you’ve been eating them wrong.”

“And how does one eat something wrong?”

“You just do! There’s a certain way of eating things.”

Varric laughed. “Okay, Mrs. Eats-Ice-Cream-With-A-Fork.”

She picked up a stick resting on the ground next to her and hurled it in his direction, shouting, “Shut up! I’ve told you why I do that!” 

“Hey! No assaulting the man who was kind enough to pull over to camp out here instead of gunning it to Pennsylvania.”

Eden scooted closer to Varric, the crackle of the fire popping before her. He handed her another marshmallow, their fingers brushing slightly, and she slid it onto the skewer, the hot metal stinging her skin for a moment. A small smile danced across her lips. “Oh, what, you’re telling me you don’t like the idea of possibly being murdered in... _Zanesville,_ Ohio?”

He bumped her lightly in the shoulder. “Leave poor old Zanesville alone. The carnival was fun, wasn’t it?”

She glanced back at the stuffed dog sitting in the passenger’s seat of Bianca. “He’d like to think so.”

“And who would he be?” Varric asked, laughing.

“I don’t know...Think Anders would be upset if I named him Ser Pounce-A-Lot?”

He snorted. “Yeah, definitely. You should go for Ser Pounces-Never.”

She burst into laughter. “Anders would _hate_ that. That’s his name now, for sure.”

She startled as fireworks began to explode in the distance, and they fell into silence to watch the colors pop. Before she knew it, she had moved even closer to him, her head resting lightly on his shoulder. He hummed softly, his head leaning against hers. “Hawke?” he murmured.

“Hmm?”

“Thank you for doing this for me.”

“Don’t get all sappy on me,” she hummed. 

He slipped his hand into hers, his fingers wrapping around it tight. “I’m serious. Not every day are you asked to lie to your friend’s ex so he doesn’t embarrass himself.”

She laughed quietly, squeezing his hand. “Best friend.”

She could feel his laugh as her head bobbed. “We’re in our 30’s, we don’t have best friends anymore. Besides, Anders takes that title.”

“You might be right. But Anders never lets me do stuff like this.”

“Hawke, you’ve vandalized a corporate building with Anders. _Several_ corporate buildings.”

Her laugh sounded loudly over the cacophony of fireworks. Being this close to Varric, hands together, their heads resting on top of one another, Eden felt elated. Golden flame burned in front of them, but she had a feeling the warmth she felt wasn’t because of the fire. No matter how she felt, no matter what confusing feelings popped up today, she knew that she felt safe and loved sitting there with Varric. 

“Exactly,” she finally responded, her voice warm. “I’ve done it so many times it’s boring now. I’ve never, however, taken a road trip to pretend to be someone’s girlfriend at their ex’s wedding. I wonder if my mother prefers this over my criminal activities.”

“Truthfully?” Varric spoke, pulling away and turning to face her. “You could become a successful business woman overnight and I don’t think Leandra would be happy.”

She scoffed. “Tell me about it. But—No more talk of my mother! That cruel demon can’t reach us here. Let’s just…” She grinned. “Here’s a story.”

Varric smiled. “This ought to be good.”

“When I was 16, my dad decided to try to get us to play basketball. Bethany was really eager, but Carver was being unreasonably grumpy, as usual, and when we got to the park, he would barely participate. Elias, of course, was sitting out. Nothing Dad said would convince him to play.” 

_Malcolm rolled his eyes, tossing the ball to Carver. “Come on, kid, you’ve gotta learn something. Shoot one free throw, for me.”_

_“Yeah, come on, Carver, stop being such a girl,” Bethany yelled._

_“Hey!” Malcolm protested, wagging his finger. “No bullying here. Even if your brother is being a little whiny brat,” he added with a grin._

_“Dad!” Carver shouted, and they all burst into laughter._

_“Carver, let it go,” Eden teased, rolling her eyes. “It’s a rite of passage in this family. At least you weren’t here when Dad was trying to sign me up for the school’s basketball team.”_

_Carver’s eyes widened. “Please don’t tell me you’re going to do that to us!”_

_Malcolm laughed, his deep voice crisp with amusement. “Nah, I gave that up when your sister here attacked one of the girls on the other team.”_

_Eden shrugged. “She told me I sucked.”_

_“And she was completely wrong, baby. You know that,” he said, throwing a large arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a tight side hug._

_Bethany frowned. “You tell us it’s wrong to fight each other though.”_

_Malcolm laughed, petting her head. “And I’d be right. Fighting people is always wrong no matter what.”_

_He turned back to Eden to give her a wink, and she stifled her laughter, clapping her hands. “Alright. Carver, give me the ball. We’ll just try to make a basket, okay?”_

_“Fine,” he grumbled, moving into position._

_Eden passed the ball to Malcolm, who passed it to Bethany, who passed it to Carver, who was unfortunately not paying attention and whose nose was met with a very fast, very hard ball. He cried out, leaning over as he clutched his nose. Eden and Malcolm exchanged a look before Malcolm rushed over to him, throwing his arm around him. “Alright kid, let’s get you to a hospital.”_

_Carver groaned. “She broke my nose!”_

_“She’s sorry,” Eden reassured._

_Bethany, who was very much not sorry, was holding her stomach as she keeled over in laughter, wiping tears from her eyes. “Yeah, I’m sorry Carver!”_

Varric laughed. “So that’s why Junior’s nose looks like that.”

“Yeah. Needless to say, Dad didn’t make us play basketball anymore.”

He shook his head, smiling. “I’d imagine.” Patting his legs, he stood up, gesturing to Bianca and bowing slightly. “Slumber awaits you, my good friend.”

“Oh, yeah? I doubt we’ll get any good sleep. If we had taken my truck, we could’ve slept in the back,” she grumbled with a smile.

“What, so you could stick your cold hands all over me? I don’t think so.”

She shoved him lightly. “Yeah, yeah,” she said, and the two of them climbed into the car to sleep for the night, the events of the day buzzing in her heart.


	8. Friendly Concern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eden narrowly avoids a difficult conversation with her brother and saves the day, albeit behind Varric's back.

_ the alley in the rain _

_ the hotel by a train _

_ the well known ghosts remain _

_ thought i felt you _

_ you in pennsylvania —  _

**_pennsylvania - heart_ **

~

**11:34 AM**

“There’s no way that’s true!”

“Would I lie to you, Hawke?”

“Absolutely!”

The game of Two Truths and a Lie had been raging for at least an hour, and Eden hadn’t gotten any closer to separating his lies from his truths. Varric was an incredible liar, but it didn’t help that all of his options sounded just as crazy as the last, with the stakes somehow rising each time. No, he hasn’t jumped out of a plane before, but he has fought a bear! No, he didn’t get an entire school shut down, but he has made a once-famous author completely unknowable with just  _ a few words?  _ And how Eden didn’t know any of these stories was astonishing to her.

“You just can’t admit that I’m cooler than you,” he said smugly. 

“No, you are 100% cooler than me, but these stories are bullshit! You cannot expect me to believe you got a precinct to let you go because they  _ liked you?  _ Not even I’ve done that!”

He laughed. “Then that means that you’re obviously not as charming as I am.”

“Listen here, Tethras,” she began to threaten, but the music was cut abruptly short as a call came through.  _ Carver calling,  _ the car said, and Eden answered it immediately. “Hello, dear brother, how—”

_ “Shh,”  _ his voice came through the car.  _ “You don’t get to start this conversation.” _

She laughed incredulously. “What does that even mean, Carver?”

“Hi, Junior,” Varric cut in. 

_ “Hi, Varric. What it means is you can’t just hang up on your brother when he needs your help and then take command of the call when he calls you again. I’m not letting you hang up on me this time.” _

She rolled her eyes, smiling. “I’ll behave, I promise.”

“What’s the call for?” Varric asked. 

There was a long pause. 

“Carver?”

_ “This isn’t easy to say, Eden. So...you know how Dad had set aside money so we could go to college?” _

Eden’s playful demeanor melted away. “Yes.”

_ “Well...you never used yours. Obviously. Mom wants to use it to buy an office, and then...ugh. Set me up there.” _

She leaned forward, suddenly angry. “That’s not her money to use. That’s Dad’s. Besides, doesn’t she have enough from reaping the souls of the damned for profit?”

Carver laughed awkwardly.  _ “She’s claiming it as hers. Dad’s been gone for...well, you know how long. It’s been a long time. You’re doing nothing with the money—” _

“She doesn’t know that! I could be saving up to make my own business firm.”

_ “You know she’d never believe that.” _

“Tell her you don’t want the job!”

_ “Eden, you know she’s not going to take no for an answer.” _

Anger boiled in Eden’s chest and she leaned forward, her voice low but sharp. “Do you want to live in Mom’s shadow for the rest of your life, Carver? Do you want Amell Industries following you everywhere, like some parasite you can’t seem to rid? Do you want every single second of your life to be micromanaged by a mother who claims to love her children when in reality she loves what she might be able to squeeze out of them?”

Varric reached over and grabbed her hand, and she gripped it tight. She could hear Carver sigh.  _ “That’s not fair.”  _

“I agree,” she rebutted stubbornly. 

It was silent for a moment, besides the blood rushing in her ears.  _ “Stay safe out there, guys. Bethany and Elias say hi.”  _

Despite her anger, she managed an, “I love you, Carver,” as Varric’s hand left hers.

He sighed heavily.  _ “I love you too, Eden. We’ll have to talk about it when you get home.” _

“I look forward to it,” she chirped, and ended the call, putting her face in her hands. 

The car fell silent, and Eden could feel her eyes burning. She would not cry. She would not scream. She— 

“You can scream if you want to, Hawke,” came Varric’s voice, and a guttural shriek erupted from her mouth, muffled by her hands. “Wanna talk about it?”

She groaned, leaning back in her seat. “What is there to talk about? You know the deal. My mother can never leave anything that’s not hers alone. She can barely leave the stuff that  _ is  _ hers alone. And she never listens, she’s so stubborn and—” She shouted again, tugging on her hair. “An office? For Carver? He has a job, he has a  _ career,  _ she can’t just—”

“Hawke. You need to consider the possibility that Carver wants to do it.”

“He doesn’t,” she spat. “It’s just easier to smile and nod when talking to my mother.” 

Varric smiled warmly. “You’ve never been good at that, have you?”

“No,” she insisted. “But my siblings have. She’s given up on me, and she doesn’t understand Elias, but Carver and Bethany are still wrapped around her finger. I don’t know how my father dealt with her.”

“Hawke. Don’t think like that.”

Eden paused for a long moment. “Let’s just not talk about it anymore.”

It was difficult to talk about Leandra. There wasn’t a moment where Eden was pissed at her, where she wasn’t doing something to send Eden off the rails again, where she was a good mother. She was bearable when Malcolm was alive, but after his death, everything became so much worse, and they had been at odds since then. 

She wasn’t going to let it bother her. Eden was on a road trip with her best friend, not back home, uncomfortable at the dinner table. Leandra couldn’t reach her there.

//

**2:13 PM**

Eden groaned loudly, smacking her hand on the table. “This is an absolutely delicious burger. Why didn’t anyone tell me Pennsylvania had such good burgers?”

“I don’t think it’s specifically Pennsylvania, Hawke.”

She shook her head. “Nope. I refuse to believe that. It’s definitely Pennsylvania. Must be something in the water.” She gasped. “Ooh! Can we stay here and investigate that instead?”

Varric sighed. “Yes, because there’s nothing quite like telling your ex you couldn’t make it to her wedding because your date wanted to investigate Pennsylvania’s burgers.”

“Mmm,” she replied, her mouth full. “It’s better than staging an objection. Wait. Should we—”

“No,” he said firmly, making her laugh. 

“But it would be fun! Picture this,” she retorts, waving her hands dramatically as she spoke. “You’re some stuck-up rich man with millions of dollars in your bank. It’s your wedding. Suddenly, a man stands up. ‘Stop!’ he says, ripping his jacket off to reveal impossibly strong arms. ‘I object! I’m in love with the bride!’ The crowd gasps. ‘Oh, Varric!’ Bianca cries. The two of you ride off into the sunset. The end.”

A long pause followed, a large grin on her face, a smile fighting to appear on Varric’s. Something tugged at her chest, a faint feeling of pain imagining the scenario, and her eyes moved up for a moment, looking past Varric at the teenagers climbing off of the public bus. Her attention moved back down to Varric as he answered. “My specialty is causing problems for people who deserve them so...maybe it’s not that crazy a scenario.”

Eden choked. “That would mean you still have feelings for Bianca.”

He paused. “I’ll be right back. Don’t get too excited about the burgers without me.”

She watched him head to the bathroom and her throat became dry. A+ aversion, Tethras. She hadn’t really thought of the possibility of Varric still being hung up on Bianca, but now it was all she could think about, and it ate away at her insides. Taking a sip of her soda, her gaze shifted back outside. Her stomach flipped. 

Her attention was outside. Where she could very clearly see the teenagers she’d seen before climbing into Bianca. Where those teenagers were closing Bianca’s doors and shooting out of the parking lot. The soda became flat in her mouth and she swallowed hard, her grip tightening on her cup. 

Varric was going to murder someone. 

She shot out of her seat, rushing to the back of the diner, and waited for Varric to come out of the bathroom, all while trying to come up with some way to make sure she got Bianca back  _ and  _ Varric didn’t find out. There would be no leisure if he found out, a warpath would be set and there would be no stopping him. She had to prevent that. 

“Hawke?” he said, startled by her presence. 

“Hey!” she exclaimed, trying to keep her voice level. Varric was the one person she struggled to lie to. “How about you finish up here and show up at the bookstore? I’m sure they’ll be happy to see you.”

He raised an eyebrow. “And why would you be trying to get rid of me?”

She gave him an easy smile. “If I told you, that would ruin the surprise I may or may not have in store for you.”

The two of them stared at each other for an uncomfortably long amount of time, Eden’s heart pounding in her chest.  _ Please don’t object, please don’t object, please don’t object, please— _

“At this point, I should know not to trust you with these things, but I’ve recently decided to take more risks,” he said, releasing the pressure in her chest. “Get out of here.”

Eden tried to control her speed as she left the restaurant, hoping he wouldn’t watch her go. There was no way to explain the fact that Varric couldn’t see her drive off. Sneaking around the back, she rushed over to the grocery store nearby, moving away from any windows to think for a moment. How would she find the kids? Altoona wasn’t a huge town, but she didn’t have the time to walk around town all day. 

She snapped her fingers. The bus, obviously. She quickly pulled up the bus schedule, thanking God she remembered what route number it was, and scanned the list of stops. The restaurant, grocery store, the mall, apartments— 

Apartments! Eyeing the next bus route, she forced herself to glance outside. She could see Varric leaving the restaurant, heading over to the bookstore a couple of feet away, and let out a breath of relief. Varric would be plenty busy by the time the bus came around again. She could easily hurry onto it without being spotted, or at least she hoped. In the meantime, she hoped she could find something that would be believable as a surprise for Varric, and headed into the store.

//

**3:34 PM**

Eden’s leg shook as she sat in the bus seat, her foot tapping against the floor rapidly. There was no guarantee those kids lived at the apartments, there was no guarantee Bianca would be there, and Eden was running out of time. An hour had already passed, and she was sure Varric was getting impatient. 

Her phone pinged. 

**Varric:** Headed over to the bar. That’ll give you plenty of time to finish up whatever surprise you’re planning, I hope?

She sighed, relieved, and hurried out a response.

**Eden:** what surprise? better expect at least another hour, to be safe

**Varric:** Can do. Want me to save you a drink or two?

**Eden:** do they have fun girly drinks?

**Varric:** You wound me to imply I don’t know what you’d like. I’ll be sure to save a few.

**Eden:** what would i do without you? 

**Varric:** Probably burn more buildings down. 

**Eden:** you love me 😘

_ “Approaching Ivy Apartments,”  _ the bus chirped, and Eden tugged on the wire. She thanked the bus driver as she hurried off, her eyes immediately landing on Bianca in the parking lot. The tension building in her shoulders instantly melted. 

She rushed over to the car, doing a quick walk-around to make sure she wasn’t damaged in any way, then took a look around, hoping to find a trace of the teenagers that had stolen her. She sucked in a deep breath before glancing in the car to see if they had pulled out the wires to start it. Her head conked against the glass as no wires were in immediate sight, and she sighed. How the hell did they steal her? Were there some new tactics Eden wasn’t aware of?

A door opened to one of the apartments and she looked up. The teenagers had frozen in their tracks, staring at Eden with wide eyes. Her panicked expression quickly melted into a cool one, and she leaned against Bianca, an easy smile spreading across her face. “Cool ride,” she said, her voice level. “Where’d you get her?”

The teenager in the front swallowed hard. “She’s my dad’s.” 

Eden’s grin grew. “Oh, is she? She really is a beauty...what kind is she?”

“Ben,” one of the others cut in, her voice low, “you know she already knows we stole it. Just give it to her before she calls the cops!”

“You should listen to your friend there,” Eden cut in before he could respond, a lie forming on her tongue. “See, the thing is, I happen to be good friends with the police chief, and I’m sure he’d just  _ love  _ to hear about a few teenage car thieves. Probably wouldn’t be able to ride the bus anymore, I could tell you that.”

The girl who had spoken before stepped forward, panicked. “No! Please, we’re really sorry. We’ll do anything if you just don’t turn us in.”

Eden took a single step forward, and they inched backwards. She smiled. “Stop stealing cars. Got it?”

They nodded quickly. “Yes, ma’am!”

Climbing into Bianca, she wiggled her fingers at them before pulling out of the parking lot, letting out a long, loud sigh as she drove away. Thank God she had found Bianca. She didn’t know what would’ve happened if she hadn’t, but she knew it wasn’t going to be pretty. Bianca was just another part of Varric, something vital, like an important organ or oxygen. 

Eden’s grip around the wheel tightened as she tried to decide whether or not that applied to human Bianca. She wished Varric wasn’t so vague about any story involving her. There was no way to gauge his mindset on this trip, whether he was happy to go to this wedding or dreading it, and his abrupt leave at the restaurant wasn’t helping either. Eden groaned loudly. Why did it even matter? She was never worried about this before, and her new panic was really irritating her. 

She pulled into the bar’s parking lot, making sure to lock Bianca several times before heading inside, spotting Varric almost immediately. She slid onto the barstool, sighing heavily. He glanced over at her. “Must’ve been pretty big to take that much out of you,” he said, sliding a drink over to her. 

“Oh yeah,” she teased, shaking her shoulders, “you’re gonna be blown away.”

He tapped the counter. “Drink up. We’d better hurry up and get to New York before it gets too late.”

The bartender waltzed over and leaned his arms on the counter, his face in his hands. “Traveling?” he asked. 

“Yes!” Eden responded, slipping on a dazzling smile. “We thought a nice little road trip up to New York would be a delightful, well overdue honeymoon. We are going to spend so much money up there, how could you not?”

“Honeymoon, huh?” He eyed them both. 

Eden noticed the tension in Varric’s shoulders, the stillness of his hand on his drink, the pleading look he appeared to be giving the bartender, who was simply staring at Varric with a cool smile. What was that all about? The two of them seemed to be having a secret exchange that Eden wasn’t aware of, and this bothered her more than anything that had happened that day. 

The bartender finally relinquished his stare, and patted the counter affectionately. “Well, you two have a good time up there. Walk everywhere. You won’t get anywhere in a car.”

Varric’s voice was as smooth as honey as he replied, “We’ll keep that in mind.” 

When he had moved out of earshot, Eden laughed nervously. “What was that all about? For a moment I thought he was going to leap over the counter and sweep you away from me.”

“Now  _ that  _ would make a story,” he said, chuckling. “I was just telling him about you, that’s all.”

Eden tried to find any indication Varric was lying, but he was always so much better at it than she was. The level of control over his expressions and body language was unmatched. She raised an eyebrow, a playful smile dancing across her face. “Oh? Telling him of my many talents? Or maybe how beautiful I am? Or, ooh, was it that I am  _ fantastic  _ at badminton?”

That made him laugh, and Eden only noticed the tension that was in his shoulders as he let it go, leaning over and placing a kiss on her hand, holding it on his lips for longer than usual. He sighed deeply against her skin, sending shivers down her spine. “Yes, I was telling him that you are an absolute champion at badminton.”

“You better,” she murmured as his hand slipped away. She tried to stop the flexing of her fingers, the involuntary twitch that came from Varric’s kiss lingering on them. “That’s obviously the only thing I want to be known for.”

Varric shook his head, laughing. “Come on, finish your drink. You’ve got a lot of driving to do.”

“Wha—Me?”

“Yes, you! I drove all the way here, it’s your turn!” 

She threw her head back dramatically. “Fine! But I get to pick the music.”

He smiled warmly, and the sight filled her chest with bubbles. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Hawke.”


	9. The Storm and What Came Before It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eden and Varric arrive in New York, though not after a bit of complication.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just to be clear, this chapter is told backwards! the end of the chapter is actually the beginning and the beginning is the end, i just thought it fit the chapter title. if it's less confusing to read it backwards, you can do that! please enjoy, and sorry i didn't update last week :(( love you guys! <3

_ now you're in new york  _

_ these streets will make you feel brand new  _

_ big lights will inspire you _

_ let's hear it for new york  _

_ new york, new york —  _

**_empire state of mind - alicia keys & jay-z_ **

~

**8:34 PM**

“So next time I warn you about something, you’ll...?”

Eden threw her luggage on the floor of their hotel room, sulking, wringing the water out of her hair. The droplets fell to the carpet with a muffled splat and Varric sighed heavily. 

“I still won’t listen,” she answered, throwing her hair over her shoulder, wincing as it slapped her back. She looked up to see Varric crossing his arms expectantly. She sighed, dramatically tossing her head as she rolled her eyes.  _ “Fine.  _ Maybe I’ll listen.”

He smiled. “That’s better. I never knew you could get that bad.”

She shrugged. “It happens sometimes. I’m usually better at avoiding it, I just…” She glanced over at him, noticing the way his back arched as he pulled his luggage onto his bed. “I was on edge today, I suppose.”

“You suppose,” he repeated, raising his shoulders as he spoke. 

“Yes, I suppose. It happens.”

He turned to her with a grin, throwing on the coat he pulled out. “Take a shower. Get comfortable. I’ll go get us some booze.”

She turned to the window, gesturing at the storm. “You’re going back out there?” she asked incredulously. 

He laughed before she was completely finished with her statement. “Don’t worry about it, Hawke. I’ll be fine.”

They stared at each other for a moment before Eden threw her shirt at him and crossed her arms. “Fine. But be back soon, okay? If you’re not back in an hour, I’m going to stand on top of the Empire State Building and scream your name until someone arrests me.”

“I’ll be okay,” he said with a laugh, and patted her on the back as he left. She shivered. 

//

**6:13 PM**

“Jesus fucking christ,” Eden muttered, gripping the wheel as tightly as she could, her knuckles turning white. 

The rain was really coming down now, as Varric had warned, and she was having trouble seeing. Driving had always come easy for her, but being in dangerous driving situations always put her on edge. The windshield wipers screamed furiously as they shot back and forth, hopelessly attempting to ward off the impossibly large droplets of rain spattering against the glass. The car stopped again, the traffic backed up for miles, and she took the opportunity to run her fingers through her hair, hitting her head against the steering wheel.

She screamed as lightning struck not too far from the car, and startled when she felt Varric’s hand on hers. “Pull off at the next exit, Hawke,” he said.

She shook her head. “No, it’ll push us off course. We’re not going anywhere anyway!” The last word she shouted, slamming her hands against the wheel. Varric held her hand tighter. 

“It’s gonna be okay, Hawke.”

“Varric, it’s fucking pitch black out here. It’s 6 o’clock! The only natural light I see is when fucking lightning strikes!” Just to prove her point, another bolt of lightning careened through the sky, and she buried her head into the wheel in defeat. She took a few deep breaths, focusing on how the wheel dug into her skin to ground herself. “I’m fine,” she said, taking another deep breath. “I’m just nervous, that’s all.”

“About the storm, the traffic, or the wedding?”

She laughed softly. “All three.”

Varric chuckled as she turned to look at him, her head still resting on the steering wheel, and shook his head. “You’re worried about the wedding? You’re gonna knock em dead, Hawke.”

“Obviously I know that,” she groaned out, barely able to keep the playful tone in her words, “but I’ve never met these people before.”

“That’s your specialty, isn’t it?”

“Well,  _ yes,  _ but this is different. These are your people.”

Varric scoffed, an incredulous laugh falling from his lips. “These are  _ not  _ my people. Everyone you will speak to at that wedding hates me. They’ll probably think I’m insulting them by showing my face there.” 

“But Bianca invited you.”

“That doesn’t mean shit,” he grumbled.  _ “Maybe  _ you’ll find one of my friends there. Maybe.”

“I hope so,” she said with a smile. “I wonder if I can squeeze embarrassing stories out of them.”

“Good luck. Half of the shit they’ll tell you won’t be true.”

She laughed. “So it’s a battle of lies. Sounds fun to me.”

He rolled his eyes affectionately. “Of course it does.” He released a short breath. “You have nothing to worry about, Hawke. No matter what you do, their minds will be made up one way or another. They’ll probably love you for ‘distracting me from Bianca’. At least that’s how they’d put it.”

“And how would you put it?” Eden asked before she could stop herself.

Her heart skipped a beat when he looked over at her, their eyes connecting. “I’d put it as they’d better love you because I love you and I have impeccable taste.”

“That certainly is flattering, Mr. Tethras.”

“It’s what I strive for.” 

She laughed and watched Varric’s eyes crinkle as he smiled. “Fine, you have me stumped. Just...make sure I don’t freak out anymore, okay?”

He saluted. “I’ve got your back, Hawke.”

//

**5:31 PM**

Ominous clouds loomed in the distance and Eden glared them down. She would not be proven wrong. They were two hours away from New York, a storm would not stop them now. “It’s just a little bit of rain,” she said, noticing the sprinkle dancing on the windshield. 

“And when the little bit of rain turns into a lot of rain, you’ll say...?”

“Nothing, because it won’t happen.”

Varric hummed. “What happened to that surprise you left to get?”

Eden tensed, the harsh reminder that she hadn’t actually grabbed anything for him hitting her like a truck. She had hoped he would’ve forgotten about it. “You don’t get to see it until we get home, of course.”

“Oh, right, of course.” He laughed. “That wouldn’t be because you weren’t actually getting me a gift, would it?”

She gasped dramatically. “Varric Tethras! Are you implying I  _ lied  _ to you?”

“I would never!” he exclaimed, acting just as shocked. “Just an observation.” 

They fell silent again and Eden’s finger traced along the steering wheel. The sound of the windshield wipers created a dull hum in her head, and she looked up at the sky, relishing in the rain. She loved the rain. She loved storms, truly, but she certainly didn’t like being caught driving in them. The clouds really did look like a very bad storm was coming. She hoped Varric was wrong.

“Tell me about Bianca,” she blurted out before she could stop herself.

She could see out of the corner of her eye that Varric looked like he had been punched. “Bianca? The woman?”

She smiled. “No, the car! What a beautiful thing she is.”

“Oh. Well—”

“Varric. Of course I meant the woman.” 

She could audibly hear him gulp. He took a slow, controlled breath. “What do you want to know?”

She raised an eyebrow. “The great Varric Tethras is at a loss for stories?”

“I just want to know what exactly you’d like to know about her. We’ve got a long history, Hawke.”

Eden tried to ignore the way the hair on her neck stood up at his tone and raised her hand, shrugging. “I guess just...the story of you two. If I’m going to be meeting the woman, I might as well have some backstory. And you’ve never told me anything about her.”

“I’ve never told that story, you know,” he said, his voice low. 

“I know,” Eden said quietly. 

Her sheepish demeanor seemed to seal the deal and he sighed, his shoulders relaxing. “We met in college,” he started, and Eden attempted to push away the chill that came with the realization that he was  _ actually going to tell her.  _ “She was part of an elite club that my parents forced me into, and we met there. She was the only one there who gave me a chance. Everyone else there hated me for one reason or another, but she talked to me, she laughed with me, she helped me with my projects. We got along pretty well, so it wasn’t long before...romantic feelings started showing up. Unfortunately for me, her family didn’t approve of me, and eventually set her up with someone else. She said she had an obligation to her family and that that was it. No more Varric. Only  _ Bogdan.”  _

“That’s her fiancé?”

He nodded. “I have nothing against the guy, I guess. I just wish I…” He faltered.

“Varric?”

“I wish I meant more to her than that,” he said with a sigh. “I was willing to destroy my reputation for her, but she chose family honor over me. To be with a man she didn’t even want to marry.”

“So this is an arranged marriage?”

He shook his head. “Not anymore. They love each other, for real now, and they couldn’t be happier.”

Eden winced at the way he spat out the last few words. “So, how were you two on-again/off-again? Did she...oh. She was  _ cheating?”  _

“Yeah,” he said, his voice quieter than she’d ever heard it. 

She could hardly believe it. Varric had never struck her as someone to be dragged along through a relationship, but here he was, admitting that all of those nights they had spent at the bar or at the club or wherever they were drowning out post breakup sorrows were caused by a woman who was using him to cheat. A clap of thunder startled her out of her thoughts.

“Thank you for telling me,” she finally said, her chest tight. 

“No problem, Hawke.”

//

**4:43 PM**

“You know, Bianca acted the same way about storms.”

Eden stiffened, her hands firmly on the wheel. Varric had warned her a few minutes ago about the impending storm, but she waved him away. It was a bright, sunny day, the highway full of people in a hurry, and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. They would be fine. 

“Did she?” she mused, noticing his use of past tense. 

He hummed in response. “She’s a stubborn woman. Just like you,” he added with a playful poke to her side.

“Is she?” 

“Hawke,” he said, snapping her out of her dazed murmurs. “What’s wrong?”

She glanced at him for a quick moment. “Nothing.”

“I’d find that easier to believe if I didn’t know everything about you.”

“It’s nothing, Varric. Really. Now hush and turn up the music. I’m trying to focus.”

They fell into silence as the music grew, and Eden sank back into her seat. Everything was going to be okay. They were almost to New York, and when they got to the hotel, they were going to be able to relax and enjoy each other’s company. She was sure of it.


	10. Kind of Want

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A night of drinking reveals more than either of them possibly imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !! content warning for alcohol consumption !! (nothing too bad, i promise)

_ gold chain beneath your shirt _

_ the shirt that you let me wear home _

_ gold's fake and real love hurts _

_ but nothing hurts when i'm alone _

_ when you're with me and we're alone —  _

**_hostage - billie eilish_ **

~

**9:02 PM**

Eden lazily turned at the sound of the door opening, then shot out of bed as it closed. Varric stared up at her with wide eyes, a bag on each arm. “What?” he asked.

“You were gone for half an hour!” she shouted, attempting to smack him in the arm as he ducked away. “You promised!”

Varric placed the bags on the glass table, laughing. “Well, I’m here now, aren’t I? I got us some food,” he said, pulling sandwiches from one bag, “and some booze,” he continued, placing the large bottle of whiskey on the table, the bottle clinking as it connected with the glass. 

She immediately moved forward to screw off the lid and drink quite a bit, the sharp taste burning her throat on the way down. Varric raised an eyebrow. “Oh, shut up,” she said, shoving the bottle into his hands to grab her sandwich. Peeling apart the bread, she glanced up at Varric with big, round eyes. “Oh...you remembered!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. 

He rolled his eyes, gently pushing her off of him. “It’s not hard to remember an incredibly easy sandwich order, Hawke.”

“Yeah, but it’s  _ my  _ incredibly easy sandwich order.” 

He shook his head, laughing. “Now I’m going to go take a shower. Don’t touch my sandwich while I’m gone. And don’t drink the whole bottle,” he added as he handed it to her.

“No promises!” she called, and he groaned in response, closing the bathroom door behind him. A quick glance at the bag let her know there was another bottle within it. She smiled. Varric knew her too well, it appeared. She took another long drink and collapsed onto the bed, grabbing the remote to put on something that would entertain her, sandwich in hand. She sunk into the mattress and sighed, content. Tonight was going to be amazing.

//

**10:13 PM**

“Are you... _ crying?” _

Eden was perfectly comfortable in her nightgown, and the two of them sat on the edges of their beds, their knees touching, their eyes glued to the TV screen. Pride and Prejudice was playing on the TV; this was about the 15th time Eden had seen it. Varric never had.

He turned his head away from her, wiping the tears off his cheeks. “A man can cry,” he retorted, his voice thick. 

Eden bounced up in excitement, pure joy erupting from her chest as she shouted,  _ “Varric Tethras, are you crying over 19th century romance?” _

He began to laugh, swinging his hand at her in attempts to quiet her. “It’s emotional, okay? You’re telling me you didn’t cry the first time you watched this?”

“I might’ve, but I would never admit that to you,” she teased. 

He rolled his eyes, pushing her lightly. “Whatever. You can’t deny that that’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever seen.”

“Maybe so. Now put on something stupid, I wanna brush your hair.” 

“You want to...what?” he was asking, but she was already making her way onto his bed, kneeling behind him, a brush in hand. She gently pulled his hair out of his half-ponytail and began to brush, running her fingers through it. 

“Your hair is unreasonably soft,” she murmured, relishing into how it felt on her skin. “Is there anything bad about you or are you just a god sent from the heavens?”

He chuckled lightly. “I wouldn’t go that far, Hawke. I just liked to be pampered.”

Eden moved his hair to the side, revealing his neck, and involuntarily moved in, her lips just barely brushing the skin before she pulled away, alarmed at her own actions. Varric hadn’t seemed to notice, as he offered the bottle of whiskey to her after he took a drink of his own. The burning liquid went down smooth. 

“Will you braid mine?” she asked, setting down the bottle, her face flushed. 

“Sure,” he responded too quickly. “Switch with me.”

She shivered as his fingers brushed her neck, his hands skillfully moving through her hair. She hummed softly. “When I asked, I hadn’t expected you to be so good at it,” she said. 

“What can I say? I’m a master of many trades.” 

“Is there anything you can’t do?” The statement was supposed to come out playful, but sincerity clung to her words as if it was imperative that Varric understood she was serious, or some deep hidden part of her was, at least. She took another drink of whiskey, trying not to move too much. She was content right where she was.

//

**11:04 PM**

“We should probably be getting to sleep,” Eden giggled, drawing circles in the air as she lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Her head was very fuzzy. She had absolutely no idea what was on the television anymore. 

“It’s not that late,” Varric responded, sitting up. She turned her head to look at him as he took a drink of whiskey. They were on the second bottle, the first had been finished a while ago. 

“Late enough,” she said, sitting up as well. She took a slow blink to ward off the buzz that shot through her head, raising her hands to ground herself. She snorted. “That whiskey...is pretty good.”

“You want some more?” Eden stared at the outstretched arm that held the bottle and scooted to the side of the bed, gladly taking it and swallowing a bit more. Varric laughed.

“Alright, that’ll have to be it, or you’ll find me in a ditch somewhere in Maine,” she groaned. 

“Maine?” he choked out. “You’d make it that far?”

“What can I say? Whiskey gives you  _ wings.”  _

Varric shook his head, his cheeks red. “No, I think that’s Red Bull.”

Eden gasped loudly, smacking Varric in the arm, practically losing her balance as she moved forward. “Can we get Red Bull? Imagine if we were the first people to fly…”

“It doesn’t actually give you wings, Hawke. Or at least I don’t think it does.”

“Let’s go see!” she whined, dragging out the last word, tugging on his arm. “I wanna see.”

“Eden, Eden!” He grabbed her arms, rooting her in place. “We cannot leave this room. We are both drunk beyond belief.”

They both laughed as their foreheads touched, her heart pounding with the realization he had used her given name. “You’re not allowed to be smart while you’re drunk. It’s not fair.”

“Fine,” he said, his voice low. “I’ll be dumb. Just for you.”

She pulled away from him, her body instinctively leaning back towards him, their faces inches apart. The amber color of Varric’s eyes swirled and she began to have trouble focusing, her brain buzzing. She noticed his gaze had dropped. “Varric?” she asked.

His eyes moved back up to her, almost cloudy, as if the alcohol had fogged up his brain, though she couldn’t be entirely sure it wasn’t something else. The TV became a mindless hum as they looked at each other, Eden’s face hot with their closeness. She glanced down at his lips for a moment, then back up, and Varric blinked slowly, as if he was asking a question without words. She moved forward slightly, an answer, and he placed his hand on her cheek. 

“Varric,” she repeated.

“Eden,” he said, placing his other hand on her face, her name in his low, rumbly voice immediately creating a pit in her stomach. She remembered the way he had looked in the Tunnel of Love, pink lights glowing around him. The lights of the room seemed to dim as she moved in closer.

She took a sharp breath before closing the gap, pressing her lips softly against his. 

His fingers dug into her skin as he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss, his right hand sliding over to the back of her neck to sink his fingers into her hair. She let out a soft whine, bristling at his touch. His fingers quickly loosened the braid he had created not that long ago, stray strands falling in front of her face, tickling her nose. 

He pulled away at that, concern breaking through the adoration of his gaze. “Is this okay?” he murmured.

“Yes,” she breathed out, grabbing him by his shirt collar as she stood, pulling him into her. 

She shivered as his hands slid up her sides, bunching up her nightgown. He stepped forward and she fell backwards, moving further up on the bed to allow him to follow until her head hit the pillows and he situated himself above her, one hand on her side, the other wrapped up in her hair. 

Varric Tethras was kissing her. 

She couldn’t wrap her head around much at the moment, but she did know one thing, and that was that  _ Varric Tethras was kissing her.  _ Varric Tethras’s fingers were in her hair. Varric Tethras’s lips were on hers. Varric Tethras’s body was pressing hers into the soft cushion of their hotel room’s bed. 

And she couldn’t be happier. 

He pulled away for a moment, and she cursed the fact that she wasn’t wearing her signature lipstick, as the image of Varric’s mouth smeared with red,  _ her  _ red, was almost too wonderful to fathom. He stroked her face softly, his voice low and sultry, and said the words that pulled her from the ground and threw her to the stars: “I love you.”

Before she could say anything in response, his mouth was on hers again, and she melted into his touch, the bed forming into a floating cloud in the heavens, one she never wanted to come down from, and as that thought formed in her head, so did another, a response, one she would be thinking about as she fell into slumber: 

_ I love you too.  _


	11. Questioning Beliefs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eden awakes to a headache and a surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm here to hurt you ;)

_ you seemed so far away, though you were standing near _

_ you made me feel alive but something died, i fear _

_ i really tried to make it up, i wish i understood _

_ what happened to our love, it used to be so good —  _

**_s.o.s - abba_ **

~

**9:32 AM**

Eden’s head pounded as her eyes creaked open, a groan falling out of her mouth. The bed was cold and empty, the air conditioning of the room on full blast, and she sat up, undoing the messy braid her hair was barely kept in. She rubbed her eyes. “Varric?” she called, wincing as her voice made her ears ring. 

When there was no answer, she slid out of bed, painstakingly making her way over to the window to pull apart the curtains, squinting as the sun beamed at her. She thought it looked particularly happy, which felt like a slap to the face compared to her hangover. She’d have to tell Varric to get ingredients for her signature Hangover Potion. She turned to the clock, wondering where he could possibly be at 9:30 in the morning, then was quickly reminded of last night’s events.

_ She took a sharp breath before closing the gap, pressing her lips softly against his.  _

_ Varric Tethras was kissing her.  _

_ And she couldn’t be happier.  _

She inhaled sharply, a rush of euphoria filling her lungs. Did that really happen? It seemed too good to be true, honestly, and Eden sat back down on her bed, running her fingers through her hair. She never thought anything like that was possible. Her and Varric? Eden Hawke and  _ Varric Tethras?  _

Varric was her best friend. And sure, every now and then, she found him attractive or charming or whatever, but she didn’t have feelings for him. Definitely not. 

When the door opened, she was ripped from her thoughts, and turned to Varric, her words coming out far too fast. “Where have you been?” she asked. 

He barely looked at her. “I was getting the stuff for your Hangover Potion. I’ve got one of the worst headaches I’ve ever had in my life.”

“I—”

He tossed her a plastic bottle filled with sludge. “Drink up. I bet yours is worse.”

“Bet?” she repeated, unscrewing the lid and forcing the Potion down her throat, coughing as it slid down. 

He turned with a grin. “I don’t remember much, but recalling most instances, I’d say you probably drank more than me. We need to get you up and running. Hungover Hawke is not exactly the nickname I’d like them to assign to you.”

He didn’t remember? Eden’s head was still fuzzy, maybe she was misremembering too. “What do you remember?” she asked before she could stop herself. 

“Pride and Prejudice, braiding your hair…after that, it’s a blur.” 

Her heart thumped into her feet. Someone must’ve been playing a cruel joke on her. How could she be given something so wonderful and have it taken away within an instant? She scanned Varric’s face, searching for answers, but he seemed utterly confused at  _ her  _ confusion. Offering him a pained smile, she thanked him for the Potion and excused herself to go to the bathroom. 

Staring at herself in the mirror, she took a long, deep breath. She could do this. Things happen when people are drunk; hell, she remembers vividly making out with Anders after a particularly wild night out. She had definitely kissed Isabela before, it was part of their friendship. And don’t get her started on how many times a drunk Merrill had curled up into her arms, muttering some flirty nonsense before succumbing to sleep.

So why did it feel so different? 

And why was she holding back tears?

//

**3:42 PM**

“We should probably head back to the hotel now,” Varric said as they walked along the sidewalk.

“What?” Eden whined, taking another sip of her iced coffee. “But we’re not done having fun!”

Varric laughed, offering his churro to Eden who took it gladly. “I know New York is exciting, Hawke, but we’ve got to make sure we’re ready on time.”

She blew a raspberry. “Don’t you want to be fashionably late? I, for one, think it would be incredibly cool and sexy.”

“Of course you do,” he said with a small shake of his head, and Eden tried to ignore the fluttery feeling she felt watching him playfully roll his eyes. “No, we can’t be fashionably late. We can’t be late at all. I promised Bianca we’d be on our best behavior and I meant it.”

Eden’s lips thinned as she grimaced. Of course, if he had promised Bianca, Eden had to play along. Bianca was becoming more and more of a concept than a person to her. She only hoped she wouldn’t become enraged at the sight of her. In fact, she quite painfully remembered that Varric had previously dodged the question about still having feelings for Bianca, and that stung more than she ever thought it could. 

God, feelings were horrible. 

Instead of expressing any of those feelings, she simply laughed and shook the churro at him. “You’d better change that promise to  _ you’ll  _ be on your best behavior because I promised nothing. In fact, I distinctly remember saying that I was very good at starting fires at places of high class, and I intend on—”

“Hawke.” Her mouth clamped shut. “You can set as many fires as you want on the way home. But I really need this wedding to go well, okay? It’s important to me—”

“What?” she snapped, surprised at her own anger. “It’s important that you behave for the woman who dragged you along for years? It’s important that you keep your date under control because she doesn’t act properly around rich people? It’s important that Hawke doesn’t—”

“It’s important to me that they like you!” he shouted, attracting the attention of nearby pedestrians. “And it’s important to me that you understand nobody ‘dragged me along’. I made that decision, Hawke. I knew what we were doing and I did it anyway. None of that is Bianca’s fault.”

Fury bubbled in her stomach, refusing to acknowledge his genuine concern for her. “Wrong,” she spat. “Half of it is Bianca’s fault. She also knew what she was doing.”

Varric sighed deeply, which heightened her anger. “She didn’t love him then.”

“It doesn’t matter!” Eden angrily tossed her coffee into the nearby trash can, halting them in place. “Why are you insisting on defending her, Varric? She used you! She—”

“We were together before her parents arranged their union, Hawke,” he spoke calmly. 

She couldn’t seem to get him riled up, and his calm demeanor enraged her even more. She was screaming at him, why wouldn’t he get mad? “That doesn’t change anything.”

“It changes everything, Hawke.”

“No, it doesn’t!” She clenched her fist, attempting to lower her voice as more people glanced in their direction. “Cheating is cheating, regardless of how you spin it. Or do you not remember all the nights I helped you when you were sad over her? Do you not remember the times we spent together, doing some stupid shit so you wouldn’t have to think about her? Because I do.”

“Is this about Eddie?” he asked gently, and she froze. 

“What?” she said, her voice strangled. 

“Is this about Eddie?” he repeated. 

All of her anger collected into a horrible ball and sank to the bottom of her stomach. “No, this is about—!” Her words caught in her throat. He looked at her expectantly, but the gears in her head were already turning. 

It was about jealousy. She was jealous. Eden Hawke was  _ jealous.  _

She was in trouble. 

Swallowing her thoughts, she choked out a response. “This is about you treating me like an embarrassment.”

His calmness quickly changed to bewilderment as he sputtered, “Embarrassment? Hawke, you’ll be the best, most loving, caring, genuine, and intelligent person there. You’ll be setting the standards for party guests for years to come.”

“You are not allowed to compliment me while we’re fighting!” she said, fighting the warmth spreading on her face and chest. 

He laughed, a sound that quickly disarmed her. “We’re not fighting. You and I don’t fight.” 

She scoffed. “We’ve fought plenty of times!”

“Name one.”

“You—well—” She sighed deeply. “Right now!”

He laughed again, reaching out before suddenly pulling away, sliding his hand into his pocket. “We’re not fighting, Hawke.”

“I cannot believe you. You’re impossible, you know that?”

He smiled, making her stomach twist in that increasingly familiar way, and started to walk again. “Believe me, I know.”

//

**6:43 PM**

Eden smoothed the dark red fabric of her dress down as she stared at herself in the mirror. The dress dipped low in the chest and arched high in the legs, and as she admired herself, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of confidence. She was afraid it was going to be too much, but she didn’t care anymore. She was going to this wedding and she was going to be the best, most loving, caring, genuine, and intelligent person there. 

And she was going to do it on Varric’s arm. 

Varric, the man who she may or may not have realized she was in love with. 

A knock sounded at the door. “You ready?” his voice filtered through. 

She took a deep breath and opened the door, dramatically posing in the doorway, donning her usual charming persona. “Do you think I am?” she asked, her voice low and teasing. 

“I…” Varric made a choking sound before straightening his suit and grinning. “Of course I do. You look stunning, as always. Let’s go start some fires.”

Her grin was wide as she took his hand. “Let’s.”


	12. Enemies Among Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night of the wedding has finally arrived.

_ but you know what they say about me _

_ that girl is a problem _

_ girl is a problem _

_ girl is a problem, problem —  _

**_problem - natalia kills_ **

~

**7:02 PM**

“Hawke.”

“I’m going.”

“Hawke.”

“I’m going!”

“Your legs haven’t moved for the past 10 minutes.”

She tapped her heel on the marble floor nervously. “Sue me for being cautious.”

The large white doors loomed over her, their golden accents twirling and spinning in a hypnotic pattern. She had never seen doors as large as these before, and she had been to a lot of prissy rich-people events, more than she could possibly imagine. This...this wasn’t rich-people. This was buckets of money. She couldn’t help but wonder what it was like dating Bianca, Varric must’ve been showered in gifts. 

“Come on, they’re gonna love you,” Varric reassured, placing a gentle hand on her back. 

She shivered at the touch but eventually took a deep breath and pushed open the doors, coming face-to-face with a sea of people who all turned at the sound of the doors opening. She felt Varric’s hand slide from her back to her hip, a warm, welcoming presence amongst the cold stares of the attendees. The party quickly turned away, uninterested, though two men made their way over to them, wide grins on both of their faces as they waved at Varric.

“Varric Tethras, as I live and breathe,” the first man said, shaking Varric’s hand as he removed it from Eden’s waist. 

“Figor!” he exclaimed. “So good to see you again. This is the husband?”

Figor wrapped his arm around the man next to him, lightly bumping their heads together. “This is him! Emrys, meet Varric Tethras. He’s the famous writer I’ve been telling you about.”

Varric scoffed as Emrys greeted him. “Oh, stop it with that ‘famous’ shit.” He turned to Eden, efficiently catching her off guard, as she was extremely focused on the woman staring at her from a distance, an eager grin on her face. She wasn’t wearing white, so she couldn’t have been Bianca. Who was she? Eden turned back to the conversation as Varric placed his hand back on her waist. “I have the pleasure of introducing you to my beautiful girlfriend, Eden Hawke.”

“Just Hawke is fine,” she crooned, reaching out to shake their hands before placing a kiss on Varric’s cheek. They were both shorter than her, which was starting to make her think that all New Yorkers were just shorter than average. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Emrys looked her up and down and she suddenly felt very bare. Maybe the dress was a bit much. “Hawke, huh? We’ve heard a lot about you.”

An eyebrow shot up. “Have you?”

“How couldn’t we?” Figor cut in with a smile. “You’ve been on the news on multiple occasions.”

Eden grimaced. “Yes, well, I can’t help drawing attention to myself.”

“Please don’t!” he responded, laughing. “We love reading and watching the stories about you.”

“She certainly is a handful, isn’t she?” Emrys joked. 

“Maybe,” Varric answered, kissing her hand, “but she’s my handful.”

“Oh, I can’t help it anymore!” a voice shouted, and Eden turned just in time to see the woman from before rushing up to her, an excited smile on her face. “Eden Hawke?”

Eden looked at her up and down, watching the woman bounce up and down in excitement. She was also shorter than her. She was starting to see a pattern. “...Yes?”

“Hi, I’m Dagna.” Dagna enthusiastically grabbed Eden’s hand and shook it. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you! I’m such a big fan actually, and I heard you were coming with Varric and it’s just so nice to finally meet you! I’m sorry, I know this is—”

Eden glanced away to cast a pleading look towards Varric, but he was being dragged away by Emrys and Figor. Her eyes widened with panic and he simply shrugged and gave her an apologetic look before turning away. She deflated and turned back to Dagna, who was still talking. “—but I figured I’d come over and say hi anyway! So here I am.”

“I—”

“You’re so beautiful in person,” Dagna breathed out, and Eden laughed her first genuine laugh of the night. 

“You’re not too bad yourself, Dagna,” she replied, and Dagna looked almost as if she would pass out from the compliment. “Can you tell me about the people here? I want to know who to avoid and who not to.”

“Oh, of course! Believe me, there are quite a few people to steer clear from. So, that man over there—”

“You’re Eden Hawke?” Dagna was cut short as another woman approached, her piercing green eyes slicing through Eden’s soul. Her face was littered with freckles and her lips were turned downwards into a disapproving frown. Eden almost took a step back.

“The one and only,” she said, giving the woman a dazzling smile, surprised at how many people at this party recognized her. She did not look impressed. “Just Hawke is fine, though.”

“Freya Aeducan,” she replied, and Eden froze. No wonder she didn’t look impressed. Eden had had many encounters with the Aeducans’ company, which exploited their workers and damaged the environment with their invasive techniques. She didn’t know who Freya was, but she was very familiar with Endrin, the man in charge of the company. He had made public announcements directly quoting her statements before. She could only imagine how Freya felt about that.

“So you already knew who I was,” she said, grinning.

“So I did.” Freya’s red lips pressed together. “I assume you’ve heard of my father’s passing?”

Eden’s eyes widened at this. His  _ daughter.  _ Shit. “No, I haven’t. I’m sorry for your loss.”

Freya fixed her with a cold stare longer than she could bare and then laughed, her expression completely shifting. “Not much of a loss. My father didn’t like me and I didn’t like him. I do like your ideas, however.”

“Really?” Eden asked.

“Really?” Dagna said simultaneously.

“Really,” Freya said. “My wife and I are taking over the company and I agree with everything you’ve said. We would love to have you as a consultant in the company’s future actions.”

“Your wife? But isn’t... _ wasn’t  _ your father a huge homophobe?” Freya grimaced and Eden winced. “Ah. I see.”

Eden stole a small glance over at Varric, who was currently in the process of reaching up to his cheek to wipe the lipstick mark that rested there off, but when his fingers touched the red, he pulled his hand back down and smiled at the color on his fingertips, sliding his hand back into his pocket. Her stomach flipped at the sight. Something about the imprint of her lips on his skin felt right to her, and her face flushed at the thought of it. She turned back to Freya. 

“You want me as a consultant? Me,” she said incredulously. 

“Think on it,” Freya answered, handing her a business card. “We are here for Bianca, after all. Enjoy your day, Ms. Hawke. Don’t think about it for too long.”

Eden watched Freya walk away, struck by the surprise of the offer. Dagna turned to her. “Well that was interesting!” she exclaimed.

“Yeah…” Eden muttered. “That’s one way to describe it.”

//

**7:34 PM**

Eden sat with her knee resting against Varric’s, the two of them patiently waiting for the bride to arrive. She had considered throwing her arm over his shoulder, but she was afraid it would come off as too needy. Whether she was thinking about the guests or Varric himself, that was left up to interpretation, and she wasn’t thinking about it. A quick glance over to him reminded her that her lipstick mark was still there, and he didn’t seem to be making any effort to rid himself of it. She was definitely not thinking about why that could be. 

Luckily for her, the pianist began to play, and everyone shifted in their seats to look back at the doors, buzzing with excitement as they awaited the bride. Every part of Eden screamed at her to not turn around, but with a great deal of effort, she turned, playing the part of excited guest, dread filling her chest. She still had never seen Bianca, whether in pictures or in person. An impossible image began to build in Eden’s mind. 

The doors opened and she came face-to-face with Bianca Davri, her hair pinned up into a crown of flowers, her makeup immaculately done, a gentle smile on her face, as if she had known where Eden would be sitting. A chill ran down her spine. It was like standing before a dragon, or a mermaid, or some other mythical creature she thought she’d never see in her lifetime. Bianca looked away, but the chill Eden had felt lingered. She was here, at Bianca’s wedding, the woman who had messed around with Varric for years, the same Varric who was sitting right next to her, his knee suddenly moving as he shook his leg nervously. The same Varric who she had realized she was in love with.

Why exactly did she agree to this?

Eden barely paid attention to what was being said. She focused on Bianca’s face, her lips that were curved up into a soft smile, the tears welling up in her eyes, her round nose, her pink cheeks, her—

“What do you think?” Varric whispered, startling her. 

“She’s pretty,” Eden offered, her throat tight.

Varric turned to her, bewildered. “No, about the—Are you paying attention at all?”

“No,” she admitted.

He laughed softly. “Don’t worry about it then.”

A few minutes later she was at the buffet table, loading up her plate with all kinds of expensive delicacies. She was in the middle of eating her 15th block of cheese when three people approached her, catching her off guard. She placed the toothpick down on her plate, smiling. “Hello,” she said, waiting for them to speak.

“Charmed,” one said, obviously not charmed.

“You’re the girlfriend, then?” another commented, looking her up and down. 

“If you’re talking about Varric, then yes,” she said, placing her plate down on the table, glancing around the room. “Have you seen him? I seem to have lost him again.”

“You’ve lost the man you came with? On multiple occasions?”

Eden fixed the speaker with a sharp glare before grinning, attempting to appear unbothered. “What can I say? I seem to be extremely popular today. And he  _ is  _ a famous writer. I’m sure there are plenty of people here dying for his autograph.”

The first one narrowed his eyes. “Are you aware of who Varric Tethras is?”

Her eyebrow twitched. “A very attractive, handsome man who’s incredibly good in b—”

“He’s a whore,” he interrupted. 

Eden crossed her arms. “Funny you should say that. He was just calling me—”

“Are you sure he isn’t sleeping with someone else? I would check if I were you.”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Eden snapped, catching the attention of all three of them. “Whatever grudge you’re holding towards Varric is unjustified. If anyone here is a whore, it’s the groom. Varric and Bianca were in a loving relationship before fuckhead Bogdan came along, but you people are so disgusting and vile that you had to break them apart, for what? Aesthetic purposes?”

They were stunned for a moment before one of them said, “Jealous, are you?”

She was going to rip this man’s heart out through his throat. 

Instead, she slipped on an easy smile. “Why wouldn’t I be? Bianca seems a capable woman, and I would like to keep my hands on my lover. But it appears I won’t have that issue, seeing as Bianca was just married in front of us not 10 minutes ago. Now, if you’ll excuse—”

“Hawke!” Varric’s voice was a relief. “There you are. If you keep running away from me, people are going to believe you don’t like me,” he said with a laugh.

“I missed you,” she hummed, leaning down to give him another kiss on the cheek, placing her lips in the same spot the previous lipstick stain was still resting. “I was just grabbing some food and ran into this  _ wonderful  _ group of people. You know each other?”

Varric cleared his throat. “You could say that.”

“Varric,” said the second one, a plump woman. “So nice to see you again.”

“I have a feeling that’s not the case, but I appreciate the attempt at a lie,” he shot back, his tone charming and suave.

“We were just getting acquainted with your...girlfriend,” the first man said. “Where exactly did you pick her up?”

“Seems he went to an expensive strip club if that fabric on that horrible tarp is any indication,” the third said.

Eden felt bare for the third time that night, and shifted uncomfortably. She offered a sharp grin. “Oh, you like my dress? Thank you, I actually stole it! Pretty nice fabric for something I found in some prissy rich man’s house. Didn’t look like it fit his wife either. Guess I helped him out!”

The second woman snarled. “A criminal. And a proud one at that. You really know how to pick them, Tethras.”

“Yes,” he said, wrapping his arm around her waist, “I do. Hawke is beyond better than any of you circling sharks. She’s strong, passionate, caring, kind, and far more generous than she should be.”

“And yet you still call her Hawke,” the third woman said, smiling. “I wonder what that could possibly mean.”

Varric must’ve been as equally stunned as Eden was, because he didn’t say a word as the group walked away, laughing amongst themselves. His hand slipped away from her side. His gaze flickered up to her for a moment, filled with an indescribable emotion, then he mumbled an excuse and walked away, heading into the bathroom. She was about to grab her plate and follow him, but was stopped by a female voice.

“Eden Hawke. So nice to finally meet you.”

Eden turned, looking down at Bianca, whose hairdo had lost a few strands of hair. Her expression was soft and welcoming, though there was a certain hardness behind her eyes, as if expressing a warning. Eden swallowed. “Bianca!” she exclaimed. “Congratulations.”

Bianca laughed, waving her hand. “You don’t have to play pretend with me, Eden. I’d like to have a conversation with you. Join me in the study for wine?”

Eden didn’t have a moment to respond before Bianca was walking away, seemingly heading to the study. She hesitated, confused by the request, then grabbed her plate, ate the last few remaining blocks of cheese, and smashed the rest of the food onto the head of one of the women who was accosting her earlier, earning quite a few surprised gasps and mumbles of disapproval. They had treated her like a problem. A problem she would be. 

She felt the eyes of the party follow her as she opened the doors to the study, her dress swishing behind her as she shut them, her eyes adjusting to the difference in light, landing on the woman who sat at the desk, a wine glass in her hand, a playful grin on her face. 

“Sit,” she said, and sit Eden did. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm not very happy with this chapter but i hope you enjoyed! next chapter is VERY heavy on dialogue, just a heads up! thanks again for reading my fic, it means the world to me <3


	13. Forbidden Knowledge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bianca and Eden talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING I WAS (and still am) VERY SICK i hope you guys enjoy <3

_ if there's hope to be found _

_ we will find it in our common ground _

_ and if that ground is to be reached _

_ there are walls around us to be breached _

_ and if that breach can be made _

_ drag the others through don't be afraid _

_ or let our differences drag us down _

_ i believe we'll find our common ground —  _

**_common ground - frank turner_ **

~

“I know a lot about you, Eden.”

Eden leaned back in her chair, taking a careful sip of her wine, trying to gauge Bianca’s emotions. “Really? I’m afraid I don’t know that much about you.”

Bianca chuckled lightly. “Now, that I don’t doubt. Varric has never been one to share personal information.”

“Why  _ is _ that?” she asked, crossing her legs. “Have you been able to crack that?”

“You haven’t?” Bianca nodded slowly as Eden inhaled sharply. “Ah. That wasn’t meant to be an insult.”

“No offense taken,” Eden said, offense very much taken. “Varric is not my...expertise, no.”

An eyebrow raised. “How long have you been together?”

“Three years,” she offered without hesitation. 

Bianca stared at her. “And how long did it take him to get around to that?”

Eden put on the calmest smile she could as her heart raced. “It didn’t. I had to make the first move. One thing I did know is that anything remotely romantic flies over that idiot’s head.”

“And do you know you share the same trait?”

Eden blinked. “Excuse me?”

Bianca laughed coolly. “Eden, you can’t seriously sit across from me, blush still on your face from his arm around your waist, and claim you don’t know what I’m talking about. Have you seen the way he looks at the lipstick on his fingers? Have you noticed that he hasn’t wiped it away yet, and that every time he tries to, he leaves it be?”

“I imagine that’s because we’re in love, Bianca.” 

“Though if either of you actually knew that, I don’t think you’d be here.”

“What are you trying to say?” Eden spat, leaning forward in her seat. Her leg jostled nervously.

Bianca simply smiled. “I think you know what I’m trying to say. I know you’re not a couple. But I also know you should be. And I think you do too.”

“I—”

“Don’t get me wrong, you’re both very good at pretending. But when you know someone like I know Varric, you tend to see right through his lies.”

Eden pursed her lips. “Then how can you see it and I can’t?”

Bianca laughed. “You can see it, Eden. You’re just refusing to.”

“What—"

“Tell me,” she said, Eden’s jaw clamping shut. “Has there been any occasion during your trip where you thought Varric was acting...subdued?”

Eden paused, her mind racing. 

_ Varric lined up the shot and flicked his coin directly into the well, the sound of it splashing in the water below following shortly after. “Your turn,” he said, his voice quieter. _

_ “Wha—Did you even wish for anything?” Eden protested. _

She hummed lightly.

_ “You smelled like lavender and cherries,” he mumbled, staring off into the distance. “Tasted like cherries too. From the cherry slushie you were drinking.” _

_ She snorted. “You remember what flavor slushie I was drinking?”  _

_ “Yeah,” he replied, the far away look in his eye still there. “It stained your tongue red for hours. I saw it every time you laughed.” _

Bianca raised an eyebrow, smiling behind her wine glass. 

_ His finger tapped on the metal bar. “You don’t have to hold back because of me,” he muttered. _

_ She laughed, nudging him with her shoulder. “What are you even talking about? I’m committed to you, baby. What kind of woman would I be if I cheated on my fake boyfriend?” _

_ “I’m serious, Hawke,” he said through laughter. “She’s pretty. I wouldn’t blame you if you went for it.” _

Eden scoffed, pulling back in her seat. “Varric’s not…”

“Not what?” Bianca pressed. “Can you even say it?”

“Look, I don’t even know you. What gives you the right to sit here and interrogate me?”

Bianca shrugged. “There could be a multitude of reasons. It’s my wedding, I’m curious, I like you, I care about Varric.”

“Oh, so you cared about him enough to ditch him when your mommy and daddy asked you to?”

She made a clicking noise inside of her wine glass. “Do you know the full story? I truly doubt it.”

Eden snarled. “I don’t need the full story. I’ve heard enough.”

“So you’ll sit here, sharing wine with me, and continue to be stubborn in your view of me because...why? You don’t want to admit the truth?”

Eden glared, her gaze furious. “And what would be the truth?”

“That you’re afraid. You’re afraid to love him and you’re afraid of him loving you.”

“And why would I be afraid of that?” Eden asked, unable to keep the pain out of her voice, her eyelashes fluttering. How dare Bianca read her like an open book? 

She shrugged. “Now that I don’t know. But I’m fairly certain you do.”

“Tell me the story, then.”

Bianca took a long sip of her wine. “What has Varric told you so far?”

“Cut the shit,” Eden said, surprised at her own venom. “Tell me  _ your  _ story. Not what you think he’s told me.”

Bianca let out a loud laugh, catching Eden off guard. “Good catch. I knew there was a reason I liked you.” She took a deep breath, leaning back in her chair. “Fine. I’ll start at the beginning. I joined the Mechanics Club of the university. Mechanics was and is my passion, though my parents hardly approved. ‘Not a very womanly thing to do,’ they’d say. ‘You’ll never attract a man like that.’ Well, they were wrong. I did attract a man, but not one that they approved of.”

“Varric,” Eden said, and Bianca nodded.

“Varric was in the Mechanics Club because his family wanted him to do something with his hands. ‘Develop some real skills,’ they said. I think he really did like it there, but everyone treated him like an outcast, and he wasn’t accepted. He pretended it didn’t bother him, but I saw through all of that crap. I decided to become his friend.” Bianca paused to take a sip of wine and Eden’s muscles tensed as she heard the partygoers talking loudly, her name wafting through the air every now and then. 

In the silence, Eden’s mind wandered. She found it leaving the study, moving through the doors, past the partygoers, and directly into Varric’s head. What could he be thinking? A million things raced past, her breath hitching. She probably shouldn’t have antagonized the guests, but she just couldn’t help it. Why would he get so upset about what they said?

“Friends turned into something more,” Bianca continued, snapping Eden out of it. “Our parents didn’t like that. Varric was kicked out of the club and I was forced to meet Bogdan. Not all bad, as you can see.”

Eden’s eye twitched. “For you.”

Bianca pursed her lips. “Doesn’t seem like it ended too badly for Varric either.”

“I’d say showing up to his ex-girlfriend’s wedding with a fake date is the bad ending.” She could hardly keep the venom out of her voice, which just seemed to amuse Bianca.

“Eden, I want you to think long and hard. What exactly did Varric say to you when he asked you to do this?”

“What exactly are you trying to prove?” Eden leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs, her heel digging into the wood of the desk, fire in her eyes. “You talk as if this is just some big game. People were hurt, Bianca. Varric was hurt. But since everything worked out for you, it’s just a fun little anecdote, right? You get to have the big white wedding, and Varric gets nothing.”

Bianca laughed, revving up something horrible in Eden’s chest. “Varric gets  _ you,  _ Eden.”

Eden couldn’t bother to muster up a witty retort as her emotions washed over her, her tone harsh as she snapped, “And what does that get him, huh? A shoulder to cry on, maybe? You put him through hell. No one is worth what he went through. Not even me,” she added, attempting to compose herself.

Bianca’s wine glass clinked as she set it down, fixing Eden with a glare. “My parents were threatening his well-being. Would you rather I continue to be with him and risk injury, or do what I did and save him from being beat into a pulp?”

A sarcastic laugh erupted from Eden’s throat. “You know, I’d find that much easier to be dumbstruck by if you didn’t fool around with him for years after making this so-called ‘decision’ to ‘save him’.”

“I don’t expect you to understand—”

“I understand perfectly, Bianca. You’re clearly only thinking of yourself.”

“I  _ love  _ Varric,” Bianca yelled, standing up. Eden involuntarily stood as well, towering over Bianca as she glared up at her. “I love him. It wasn’t easy letting him go, and I admit that I went about it the wrong way, but it was because I love him. You can be mad at me all you want, but that doesn’t change the facts. Varric’s smitten with you, Eden. Absolutely smitten. And he deserves someone infinitely better than me, and that’s you.”

Eden swallowed hard. “You don’t know me,” she said bluntly.

“I don’t,” Bianca admitted. “But I do know who Varric says you are. And I don’t think that’s too far off.”

She scoffed. “Why do you care so much?”

“Because I care about Varric. And he cares about you. Deeply.”

Both women turned at the sound of the doors creaking open, a panicked Varric standing before them. He glanced between the two of them, seemingly drinking in their body language, and made his way over to Eden’s side, taking her hand and placing a kiss on her knuckles. She blushed, bewildered by the action. Varric turned to Bianca. “Trying to steal my date, Davri?” he said cooly. 

“Could you blame me, Tethras?” All of Bianca’s previous anger had drained away, a relaxed smile on her face as she lifted her wine glass once more. “She certainly is beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Eden said quickly, confused by the shift in tone. She glanced down at Varric, an eyebrow raised, and he shook his head. Well, what the fuck did that mean? 

“Sorry to cut the party short, but I’m afraid Eden and I have to get going. Important business back home.”

“What?” Eden asked, but Varric just shook his head again.

“So like you to leave early.” Bianca made her way over to Varric, shaking his head before hugging him. Varric glanced up at Eden mournfully for a moment before Bianca pulled away, nodding at Eden. “It was nice to meet you, Eden.”

“Likewise,” she managed as Varric dragged her away. “What? What happened?”

Varric couldn’t look her in the eyes. “Elias called. We need to get home.”

She tightened her grip on his hand. “Why? Is something wrong?”

“Trouble at home. He said Leandra’s throwing a fit. You didn’t tell her you were going to New York?”

Eden scoffed, shifting uncomfortably. “No. Why would I?”   


Varric stared at her for too long before shaking his head, letting go of her hand. “Anyway, Elias says you need to get home now. Leandra won’t tell anyone what it’s about, but she seems to think it’s very important. He said he hasn’t been allowed to leave the house for two days.”

“That certainly sounds like my mother.” Eden crossed her arms, rubbing her cold skin, and tried not to notice how distant Varric felt. “Fine. Let’s go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey........thanks for reading <3 bad news. i'm going on a little bit of a hiatus after this because i need to work on the next few chapters with a friend of mine, and they're not always available! it shouldn't take too long, i promise. in the meantime, i'll try to finish up another project that i've been dying to write so keep your eyes peeled for that! thank y'all so much it really means the world to me that you enjoy my silly little fic


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